Partners in Crime
by Aivelle
Summary: Katie and Percy knew each other outside the Camp. Way before they found out about their godly origins. In fact, they used to be quite popular. How? They were the great Thieves of New York! Oh, but that's not where our story begins. It began in Texas when they were just eight years old. A story about Katie's and Percy's criminal lives. Trouble, adventure, sibling-like relationship.
1. I'm keeping you

_Adventure must start with running away from home_

* * *

Katie and Steadfast were walking leisurely through the long grass beside the asphalt road heading to the familiar forest ahead of them. They were just coming back from their daily rides. Steadfast, being a horse enjoyed them greatly. He gave a content whine when Katie scratched him behind his ear. She giggled at that. Although the girl was only eight years old she was already allowed to have her own horse. Her dad owned a farm with horse stables and she loved assisting him in taking care of all the stallions and mares.

The gentle breeze was refreshing under the scorching sun. Summers in Texas were exceptionally hot. Katie stretched her back and arms up and laid on the back of her skewbald horse. She tilted her cowboy hat to shield her eyes from the sunshine. She laid there for a while listening to the hooves stepping on grass trusting Steadfast that he knows the way.

Her moment of bliss was interrupted by a distant wail of sirens. After some time when the wailing increased she also heard little wheels rolling toward her. Katie got up, adjusted her hat and turned around on to see what was all the commotion about. Steadfast stopped walking when his owner gently tugged the bridle. She spotted a boy on a skateboard chased by three cars with blue and red flashing lights on the roofs.

That was an unusual sight. He couldn't be older than 10 years old. From where Katie was sitting she saw that he was pretty thin, had black hair and was wearing a blue hoodie tied around his waist that was flowing behind him. She thought that the boy didn't have a chance of escaping the police cars skating. Guess he thought of that too because when he reached them he got off of his skateboard, grabbed it and hopped on the startled stallion all in one second.

"GO!"

Katie jumped at that. On impulse, she kicked her heels into the sides of her horse. It all happened way too fast for her to register. They galloped into the forest. Katie turned left, deeper into the woods. That way they won't be able to drive after them. She felt the other boy's skinny arms holding on to her waist. Branches and leafs were scratching all three of them as they run blindly through the forest. The police officers were yelling out to them to stop but Katie didn't listen. Excuse her for not wanting to bring home the cops and explain to her dad as to why exactly she was running away from them with a stranger sitting behind her on her horse. The police officers got out of the vehicles and started running after them. Katie was tempted to look behind and see just how many of them there is. But she didn't want risk running into a tree.

Now that the initial shock has passed she concentrated on the ride. The girl recognized these part of the woods and if she was right there should be a gorge right... there! A few meters away there was a crack in the ground and Katie prepared her horse to jump. Right, when they were in the air she felt the boy press his face against her back and tighten his hold on her. Steadfast landed gracefully and immediately started galloping again. This should at least discourage the cops from continuing the chase.

Katie looked back and saw the figures in dark blue uniforms stop at the gorge. She made a little triumphant cheer in her head. Then she changed directions and lead them to her home. But when they were out of the forest the police officers were already waiting for them. They must have got back to their cars and drove the rest of their way out. They ordered for them to halt. The skewbald horse and his passengers only sped up and passed the officers ignoring their demands.

Now there was only meadows and open space between them. Her dad's farm was nearby but she didn't want to lead the police force to her home. But then again where else should they go. For now, she decided on galloping ahead. The sound of moving cars could be heard behind them and Steadfast couldn't gallop whole day. The situation was getting hopeless.

"There!" Katie was startled by the boy's voice. She almost forgot he was sitting behind her. He pointed to a herd of horses. Katie's dad's horses!

They turned in that direction. They could use the other horses to blend in with them. It would at least make it harder to spot them. Soon enough she noticed her house not too far away. The girl made Steadfast run faster just for this short distance. He pushed his way through the crowd of horses. Katie spotted a familiar willow tree. An idea sparked in her head. She thanked whatever deity was out there that she didn't bother with putting on a saddle. That would look suspicious.

"We gotta jump!" Katie tried to outshout the sound of countless hooves. Easier said than done. Neither of them has ever tried to hop off a horse's back while he was moving surrounded by other galloping horses. They would be trampled to death. But well there was no choice.

The boy waited for a moment until there was a small opening in between the powerful creatures, he slid one leg off of the horse's back and jumped. He rolled on the ground and got up as quickly as he could. Katie followed his motions leaving Steadfast to run along. She grabbed his hand and ran towards the willow carefully, not to be noticed by the cops.

As they stepped inside the curtain of the whip-like branches Katie signaled to climb the ladder that was nailed to the tree. It leads to a treehouse completely covered by the tree branches.

~xXx~

They collapsed on the wooden floor panting heavily. The sound of the police sirens was fading away.

Now that they were safe Katie took a better look at the stranger sitting in front of her. He was probably her age surprisingly. His jet black hair was messy and unkempt. Lots of tiny cuts marred his face and arms and a few wounds that would need a band-aid. The clothes that were hanging on his thin frame were dirty and tattered. He was wearing a black worn out band shirt, a dark blue hoodie with a zipper tied around his waist, faded jeans with a nasty hole on his scraped knee and dirty trainers. His backpack wasn't in a better state. There was his skateboard sticking out of it. But the thing that stood out the most were definitely his eyes. They were green but somehow reminded Katie of the sea. Wasn't the sea supposed to be blue, she wondered.

She shook herself out of her musing and send the boy a ridiculed stare. "Well?!"

He stopped rubbing his arm on which he fell when they were jumping off of the horse. Those deep green eyes looked up at her confused.

"Any explanations?!" She elaborated. "Who are you? Why were you running away from the cops? Look, if I'm in trouble because of you, you are so dead!"

"Um, well my name is Percy Jackson and I'm pretty sure you're not in trouble." You could definitely hear he wasn't from Texas. The boy that called himself Percy sounded completely different than the people from San Antonio. He lacked the signature southern accent.

Katie calmed down a bit. "You didn't answer my second question.

"And I am still talking to a stranger," He countered. "I'm not just gonna tell all my secrets to some random girl. Didn't your parents taught you about the sacred rule stranger danger?"

At that historical moment when Katie saw that smirk on that irritatingly smug face, she knew they would not going to get along.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm Katie Penelope Gardner."

Percy made a motion as if he was tilting his invisible hat in greetings. She huffed at that. But that also made her realize that she lost her own hat somewhere when they were running away. Great.

"So, uh, nice place you got there," Percy said looking around the treehouse. He tried to change the subject.

"Yeah, thanks." She didn't let him. "So, why is the police after you?"

He sighed as he scrapped dried bits of blood of his knee. He wore thoughtful look but then as if he was giving in he said: "I ran away from home."

Katie's expression shifted from harsh to a more sympathetic and curious one. She guessed he wouldn't like to talk about it. She let it go. For now.

"Well, what are you doing in Texas?" When he gave her a questioning look she said: "You don't look like you're from here."

"What? Never seen a homeless eight-year-old in Texas?" Katie gave him a look. "Yeah, I know. Stupid question."

"Wait," She said. "Homeless?"

He paused as if he just registered what he just blurted out. He nodded reluctantly.

"You can stay with me! Not here of course. I live in that house nearby. You could stay for a bit."

"Only if there will be blue food."

Katie blinked at him. After a while of silence, she deadpanned "I'm keeping you."

She smiled when he gave her a ridiculed look.

"What." Somehow Percy made it sound more like a statement than a question. That only made her smile more.

"Something tells me that we are going to have a lot of fun in the future."

Percy smiled amused and raised an eyebrow. Though he couldn't help but warn her. "I'll destroy your world."

And he did. But he gave her a new life in return. Full of trouble and adventure.

* * *

 **Not gonna lie. This story was inspired by a fanfic 'The Unknown Friendship' By the amazing Unexplainable Contradiction.**

 **She wrote a similar story about Katie and Percy but unfortunately, it isn't complete and I assume abandoned. Nonetheless, I recommend it to you because it is just that awesome! (You can read it as a series of oneshots)**

 **Anyway, THIS IS NOT A SLASH. KATIE AND PERCY AREN'T GOING TO BE A COUPLE. There is just going to be a pure beautiful sibling-like relationship between them. Also, this is my way of punching the 'boy and a girl can't be friends, they will in love with each other eventually' stereotype right in the face. :)**

 **Besides I always wanted to write a story about Katie. She lives in San Antonio because Rick Riordan was born there. Of course, you can expect the Stoll Brothers to make an appearance. Yes, Katie and Travis _are_ going to be together. Naturally, Percabeth is going o happen. Percabeth is LIFE. And this story is probably going to have 20-30 chapters. There is also going to be a quote at the beginning of every chapter.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, fellow demigods.**


	2. Get to know my world

_No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle_

* * *

"Yeah! Bullseye!"

Katie hit the circular red and white target. Her dart hit right in the center. Percy who was standing next to her, however, wasn't doing so well. They had three tries but only one of his darts even hit the shield.

"Congrats, missy," The man standing at the booth said. He was looking amused at the beaming Katie and sulking Percy. "What would you like?"

"That yo-yo." She pointed at the red plastic object among all the plush toys. When the man handed the prize to her they walked away not to block the line and let the others waiting have their tries.

"Well, that was a waste of five bucks," Percy grumbled as Katie already started playing with her yo-yo.

After their little car chase, the two of them stayed at the treehouse a few minutes more just to make sure the police was gone. Then they took all 32 horses back to the stable. The horses for some mysterious reason were very fond of Percy. The kids expressed their gratitude to Steadfast for saving their butts by giving him an apple. For a horse, it was like a dessert for breakfast. Katie then decided that Percy should meet her father. And that's how they ended up at a carnival.

"Not my fault you have a sucky aim," Katie laughed. She was smiling so widely her dimples popped up. For others, it would be a sign of joy. For Percy, they meant pure evil.

He rolled his eyes. "So where _is_ your father?"

They were interrupted by a loud cheer of a crowd of people. She ran up to that direction motioning for him to follow her. They reached a wooden fence the crowd was surrounding. The eight-year-olds were too short to really see anything so they had to hop on the wooden bars. Inside the ring, a powerful bull was going crazy. Dust was flying everywhere because of the bull's rapid movements. It was kicking its limbs in all directions and jumping as if it was being electrocuted. All to get the man riding it off its back. It was a rodeo.

"That's my daddy!" Katie yelled out excitedly.

It didn't take three seconds for the bull to violently shake off the man. At the same moment as Katie's dad hit the ground a few people quickly lead the bull back to his fence. The crowd cheered again. Percy didn't know why. He voiced his musings.

"What's the big deal? Doesn't it mean that he lost if he falls?"

"No," Katie said offended her dimples finally disappearing. "You can't hold on to a bull forever. It's the score! My dad stayed on that bull for over 9 seconds. See!" She pointed at the timekeeper. It said 9.23 seconds. "That means he won." To tell you the truth the rodeo scoring system was a lot more complex but Katie's explanation should be enough.

"Well, that beast did up a fight."

They turned around. There stood a man with a black cowboy hat on his salt and pepper hair. His clothes were all covered in dirt after being thrown to the ground.

"Daddy!" The girl exclaimed. She hopped off the bars of the fence and run up to the man dragging Percy along. "This is Percy! He is staying over."

The man was used to his daughter's demanding nature. She never asked for permission. She stated facts. He smiled down at them making his wrinkles deepen. "As long as he's up to some horse riding. Calvin Gardner, at your service!"

"Percy Jackson." The boy gave Calvin a firm handshake which satisfied the man. He believed that by a simple handshake you can tell how strong is your personality.

"Don't listen to him." Katie jabbed a finger towards her father. "He always takes people for a ride to see if they are worthy or something."

"It's a tradition!"

Calvin Gardner was actually quite a superstitious person. He was convinced that animals - horses specifically - were spiritual beings. That they had a soul of their own. He believes that his precious steeds are drawn to good people so he likes to introduce newcomers to the horses to see how they will behave around those people. That method hasn't failed him yet.

Ever since he was born he always lived on a farm. His family used to grow all kinds of plants and flowers. He himself used to be quite passionate about that. But then he met a woman who was equally maybe even more fascinated by nature. They hit it off instantly. Life with her beside him from then on was just more lively and colorful. But then he found out about her true identity and she explained to him why she couldn't stay with him and their newborn child.

Demeter was truly one of a kind. That's probably why he quit farming and decided on taking care of horses instead. All those flowers and generally the activity he did for a living reminded him of the happy times spent with the goddess and that they could never be together.

They were walking back to Gardner's household. It was a classy wooden house with a small lake nearby. It had two stories and an attic. The living room, the kitchen and a room where they stored the horse riding equipment was located on the first floor. The bedrooms, bathroom, balcony and 's little office was on the second floor. Now the attic was where Katie resided. Well, one-fourth of the attic was a little storage where they put things you usually keep in your attic. But the rest was all Katie's room.

"Calvin!" They heard a cheerful greeting. It was a man most likely in his fifties sitting on a swinging bench. He had a thick southern accent. "Ah, and little miss Gardner. I see you brought a friend."

"I wouldn't go far as calling him my friend." Katie propped up on the railing on the porch. "More like stray."

Percy stuck out his tongue at her. The old man laughed at that.

"Where were you, Joe! I was just competing in the rodeo!" Katie's dad said to his old friend.

"I had more important things to do than see you get trampled by some savage beast."

"That's Uncle Joe," Katie told Percy when the two men started bickering. "He's not really my uncle but he was married to my auntie once. But then they split and she moved out of Texas but Uncle Joe is still a family friend."

"Alright, alright," Calvin said to stop this nonsense arguing. "You can make it up to me by saddling up two of my fastest steeds."

"Oh, don't tell me," Joe pinched the bridge of his nose. "you wanna take the kid for one of those rides, you fool. He probably never rode a foal. _Have_ you ever rode a horse, young man?"

"Well, there was this one time," Percy started to say but was interrupted by Katie who elbowed him in the ribs.

"He'll do great!" Calvin patted the boy on the back. "I can feel it."

"Oh boy, you be thankful your wife ain't here! She wouldn't have liked that," Uncle Joe said to Katie's dad who was making his way to the stable. He then added to himself. "Wives. I'm always thankful they ain't here."

~xXx~

They ended up saddling three horses - Calvin's trusty mare Domino, she was a black horse with white markings. Oakley, another mare which Percy will be riding on and Steadfast. Katie decided to join them.

"Remember my instructions, kid?" asked.

"Turn left, tug left and turn right, tug right?" Percy summed up as he stroke the chestnut horse's neck. The man laughed. He has explained how to ride in a bit more in-depth and detailed way but the boy pretty much fit it in one sentence.

"Alright, you ready kids?!" He didn't wait for an answer. He and Domino ran off leaving dust behind and thus starting the race.

Percy did not expect that to be so exhilarating. Back when he was on the run with Katie on Steadfast he was a too busy holding on for dear life and worrying that he soon is going to end up behind bars to really enjoy the thrill of horse riding. He was hunched over Oakley's back. His legs were clutching the animal's torso around the saddle. The wind was blowing. But it wasn't like sticking out your head out the car window. It was way better. He felt the pleasantly cold wind on his entire body. The sound of galloping hooves was also strangely satisfying.

They were running through an open space feeling free and wild. Domino and her rider were most of the time ahead of them but Katie and Percy were also speeding up. Katie was crying out shouts of joy and excitement. Percy also couldn't help it when they galloped through the lake water splashing everywhere making all of them wet. They were laughing the whole time on their way back.

~xXx~

It was evening and after having a big dinner all four of them sat down at a campfire.

After the ride, Calvin was happy to say that his daughter's new friend past his little test and deemed him trustworthy. At first, he was kind of wary of that boy. The fact that this strange kid with no parents around was hanging out with his daughter wasn't comforting. Oakley and other steeds treated the boy as if he was one them. Maybe even something above that. Which didn't happen often. He smiled fondly at the two kids laughing at a story Joe was telling them. _Who knows? Maybe it's one of those lifetime friendships_ , Calvin thought.

"Joe, don't you think those rascals would rather go to bed now than listen to your exaggerated lies?" The man interrupted the oh so fascinating story about Joe taking down singlehandedly an oversized lizard that apparently spits acid.

"Why, those ain't no lies, my friend." Uncle Joe looked offended. "But you're right about one thing. It sure is bedtime, kids."

"Oh, but can't we just-" Katie started.

"Katie." Her dad warned. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you. Again."

She sighed. The two eight-year-olds exchanged a look and grudgingly stood up and headed to the attic.

It was very cozy. There was a clap door on the floor on the left side of the room. A wardrobe right next to it. A bay window on the other side of the room where you can sit on comfy cushions with a view out the window. Two bookstands were at either side of it. Beside a big bed and a desk, there was also a hammock hanging under a window that was on the tilted roof.

"You're taking the hammock," Katie said as she threw a pillow and a blanket Percy's face who barely caught it.

When he laid down he had a perfect view of the stars. He has never seen so many at once. You can't really stargaze at New York...

"Hey, Katie!" He whisper-yelled. She didn't budge. "Katie! Katie! _Katie!_ " Still nothing. " _Dimples!_ "

"What!" She snapped.

"Goodnight." He smiled innocently. She threw a pillow at him. "Ow."

* * *

 **That was a 'calm before the storm' kind of chapter. Or should I say 'fluff before the shit's going down' chapter?**

 **Okay, so I didn't want to make Katie's dad all worried and have an interrogation and threaten Percy like 'who is this kid?', 'no funny business, young man', 'don't you mess with my little girl'. I wanted for him to give Percy his trust so I made him a super horse geek.**

 **Next chapter: Percy will make Katie join the dark side.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, fellow demigods.**


	3. Now let me show you mine

_Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist._

* * *

Life in San Antonio for Percy was pure bliss in comparison to his life in New York City. No more fearing that you'll get jumped at any passing dark alley. No more obnoxious noises of the city (especially at night) like honking, drunk people, cars, gunshots (or fireworks, you can never know, which is terrifying). No more suspicious smells like a mixture of a hotdog and bird poop. No more sitting in his even more louder and more smellier apartment whole summer.

Honestly, Percy could really get used to the western lifestyle they've got in Texas. His favorite activity must be horse riding. He and Oakley got along pretty well. Seeing as she was an old mare (but still one of the best racers) she treated Percy a bit as if he was her foal. She had had two beautiful foals but they have been sold and now they are probably competing for another championship. Oakley missed her time of motherhood and there was just something about Percy that made every horse in the stable drawn to him.

But that wasn't the only thing he loved in Texas. Living in Gardner's household was pretty awesome too. At this point, the attic was both Katie's and Percy's room. The attic was a clean and full of color place but to tell you the truth, Katie wasn't the most organized person in the world. And with Percy around the room was to put it simply, a mess. But neither of them really minded. They lived in harmony with the stacks of dirty clothes lying around on the floor. The Gardner's and he would also have movie nights pretty often. But due to their ADHD (both Katie and Percy have ADHD, who would've guessed), the movie nights usually ended up in a popcorn fights. And if they didn't have popcorn pillow fights ensued. The only reason Katie's dad allowed the truly deadly battles is because they would wear themselves out and it makes them go to sleep easier. Oh, the pain of having two hyperactive kids under your roof.

But then the dreadful mornings would roll around. They had to wake up pretty early to go feed the horses, go to the nearby store to buy milk, bread, skittles and other essentials and do other necessary things. Percy understood that after all, he was staying at their home for free so he might as well help with the simple stuff like these. But waking up at eight am in summer? They are asking way too much of him. Although, the breakfasts are cool. Uncle Joe would make them scrambled eggs or pancakes while telling them some amazing (and most likely made up) stories with his funny accent. One time when Percy said that he was disappointed the pancakes weren't blue the next morning Uncle Joe prepared pancakes with blue food coloring. And when he was too busy he would make them quick cereal but he made sure that Percy's were always blue. Percy felt deeply touched at that. The only other person who would go an extra mile for him like that was his mother.

He could go on and on about all the perks of living in this Texas but there was just this one thing that was bothering him.

Well, maybe two. The town's people would always mistake Katie and Percy as siblings. But who could blame them? They had the same black hair color, same height (which bothers Percy to no extent), similar body types and of course the unique green eyes. Anyone who would look closer would notice that Katie's eyes were forest green, they were the same shade of green as pine trees. Percy's however, were a sea green - a deep green color with a hint of minty blue. But well not many notice such tiny details.

But the main thing that was bothering him was the lack of _action_. The lack of the unexpected. The dangerous. That day when he met Katie it wasn't his first car chase. Or any other chase. He may be eight years old but his experience of trouble was very wide. At school, he used to be teased and bullied a lot because he got easily distracted and couldn't read or write very well like the rest of his class. Sometimes the teasing got physical. And school wasn't exactly the only place he got bullied in. So, he fought back. And who always got blamed. The victim of course. He was sent to the principal's office and the school counselor a lot. Because of that, he was considered to be a 'troubled child'. They make him seem like he was one of those kids that aren't to be trusted, the kids your parents said to stay away from.

They wanted a villain so he gave them one. From then on he stopped caring what people thought of him completely and just did what he wanted. Skipping school? Almost every day. Cheating on tests? That's the only way you can get a good grade. Blowing up some mysterious chemicals in chemistry class? His specialty. All in all, he got kicked out of three schools.

He wasn't doing any better on the streets of New York either. Getting jumped or mugged wasn't anything unusual. What _was_ unusual was an eight-year-old knocking down three potential robbers twice his size and age.

Somehow constantly looking over his shoulder, snarky replies, seeking trouble was not only something Percy was used to but also something he grew to _like_. He became a master at avoiding security cameras and running from the law. He loved it. The thrill, the fun and the feeling of freedom.

That's one of the few things Percy missed from New York. And something he is gonna find in Texas.

"Hey, Dimples!" The boy called out as he jumped over the back of the couch and sat next to Katie.

"Yes, Jerkface?" Katie said irritated not looking away from the TV and still aimlessly jumping through channels. Percy insisted on calling her that nickname because he believed the dimples on Katie's cheeks are a sign of an upcoming apocalypse. Which she found ridicules but couldn't make him stop calling her that so she responded by calling him all kinds of insulting names.

"Wanna have some fun?"

"If by 'fun' you mean watch your face get all dirty with horse poop again then... sure, any day," She smirked one of the dimples showing.

"What? No." He looked at her unimpressed. "By 'fun' i meant this." Seemingly out of nowhere Percy produced a spray paint. He shook it a few times and the bottle made a clicking sound.

Katie looked at it surprised. "Where did you even get this?"

But Percy was already on the move. He slipped on his dark blue hoodie (which he never leaves home without) and grabbed his backpack.

"Come on, I'll tell you everything on the way!"

"Wait! But-" The girl started to say but he was already out the door. "Ugh."

She followed her friend into the night.

~xXx~

"What are we doing here?" Katie demanded.

They were at the amusement park. It was dark and abandoned at that time of day. Well, night. They were going to take it down tomorrow so today was the last day anybody could have visited the park. Seems like that piece of information hasn't made it's way through Percy's thickheaded mind.

"And here I thought you'd be smart enough to put two and two together," Percy commented as he was taking out some more spray paint bottles out of his backpack. She huffed. "I mean what kind of a bad influence would I be if I didn't take you for graffiti painting?"

He offered one of the bottles to Katie. She looked at it and then back at him. "You are gonna get us in trouble!" She hissed looking at him as if he was mad. And maybe he was.

"That's the whole point, Dimples."

She scowled but he didn't take away the offered bottle. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not this time. Come on. I know you want to," Percy said in a husky voice. He gave her a mischievous smile and dared her with his eyes. So, of course, she took the spray paint from his hand.

They spent the entire night on running around from one booth to another drawing and writing ridicules things. Katie and Percy laughed hysterically as they gave the ponies on the carousel a gothic makeover.

They made it their little competition on who makes the most noticeable drawing. But the biggest of them all was the one they both drew on the center of the Ferris Wheel that read 'DIDN'T GET CAUGHT' with big bold multicolored letters that would be seen from a mile away. The duo also had fun when they found some unused balloons and filled them up with paint and started madly splashing around the colorful bombs.

At the end of the night, the abandoned amusement park looked like a war zone left by preschoolers. Everything either suddenly produced a mustache, devil horns, wings or was splattered with paint to death.

"Okay," Katie said laughing. She couldn't help the stupid grin forming on her face. "Gotta admit. That was fun."

They were sitting in a wagon on the Ferris Wheel.

"Told ya." Percy was sitting on the opposite bench.

"But you know what would be more fun?" She asked as she weighted one of the balloons full of paint in one hand. He looked at her suspiciously. And before he could say anything she yelled "This!" throwing the small balloon at his face.

Percy yelped as it popped loudly and his face was suddenly hot pink. With a glare, he also grabbed a few of the balloons and started throwing them at his opponent. Katie didn't back down from the self-initiated fight. And that's why they were dripping wet with paint as they were walking back home. But they didn't mind. They were laughing and joking the entire way back.

The two felt so free and wild that night. The night's fresh air, the stolen candies from one of the booths, the spray painting. It all made joy and excitement surge through their bodies. They could literally live for these moments. Full of chaos and laughter. For Percy, they gave peace to his restless soul. For Katie, they were like living an adventure she was dragged to go on.

The duo showed each other two whole different worlds - one with horses riding and movie nights and one with sneaking out at night and graffiti painting.

* * *

 **Okay, so don't listen to Percy's ramblings about New York. I am sure that's a great place and like everything has it's pros and cons. But remember that he was never really been optimistic about his home. Especially at that time...**

 **He has never been really optimistic about anything in general but that's beside the point.**

 **So Katie and Percy are slowly turning into young criminals. They started off innocent. You know Katie and Percy at first will be just doing graffitis, pickpocketing, etc. They will get to do some more dangerous and serious stuff later on.**

 **Next chapter : Mutual hate for that specific neighbor.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, fellow demigods.**


	4. Kidnapped by the circus

_Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair._

* * *

That night at the abandoned amusement park had been the most fun Katie ever had. She had a time of her life running around and about with her best friend - because now she considers Percy her best friend - causing a ruckus. Now, she knew it wasn't exactly right (or legal) to spread their art (because she didn't like to use the term vandalism) at a funfair but it was worth it. They came back home at around 3 am and slept until noon the next day. Her dad was surprised to see their clothes all covered in colorful paint dumped in the washing machine. He assumed it was just one of their extreme fights. He noted to keep away from the troubling duo any kind of staining substance or just generally everything they could make a mess with.

Anyway, that little night out had been so enjoyable that they couldn't help but to go out the next night. And the next. And the one after that.

Soon Katie was addicted to that feeling of freedom and that overall craziness. Adrenaline overwhelming her each time. They once went out for a ride with Steadfast and Oakley. The crescent moon was lighting up their way. Countless of stars were shining without a cloud on the navy blue sky. It was like in one of those fairytales Uncle Joe was telling her about. Although she has been to the nearby forest thousands of times, at night it felt like a completely different place. Everything just seemed to have more magic in it when the moon is up. No distracting people yet it felt lively. Peaceful and quiet yet she felt fierce almost warlike. It honestly felt like going on an adventure. But nothing compared to the feeling of coming back home on their loyal steeds and wrapping yourself in a heap of blankets on the couch sipping hot chocolate with a friend at your side.

The thing Katie loved most about those nightly activities was her partner in crime. Without Percy, she would have never experienced the true meaning of being alive. He made her feel strong. It's as if he carried this sense of adventure everywhere he went. But he was also the kind of person she could be at her weakest with and not even feel so.

They laughed as they collapsed on the giant stack of hay just outside the stable. Katie and Percy have just released the horses so they could stretch their legs and eat some grass.

"Hey, Gardner! Is that your _boyfriend_!" They heard a mocking voice call out.

They propped themselves on their elbows to see who was disturbing their moment of bliss. It was a girl with pigtails and two other girls and three boys at her side. They appeared to be their age but from the girl's previous comment you could tell that was some bratty kid.

"I would insult you, Anderson but I'm afraid I won't do as well as nature did!" Katie retorted to the brunette.

She sneered. "Like you're any better, you stinkin'... cow!"

"Bet you were up all night trying to come up with that one," Percy commented looking at the newcomer unimpressed. Katie snickered as she watched the other girl's face turn red. "It must be difficult for you, exhausting your entire vocabulary in one sentence."

"Oh, shut up! You don't even know me," She disregarded him.

"I also don't know what makes you so dumb, but it works!" He assured her in a mockingly cheerful voice.

"Ugh, whatever. Let's go," She motioned to the others to follow her. Which they did like a bunch of trained puppies.

Katie who was holding it in now burst into laughter when they were out of hearing range.

"Who were they?" Percy asked.

"Just some jerks from the neighborhood," Katie replied dismissively. "But that was _epic._ See why I keep you around. It's about time someone told her off."

He smirked. "Yeah, that definitely hurt her poor ego."

And they burst out laughing again.

~xXx~

"I swear dad, she's out to get me!"

"Oh, come on, Katie. Lizzie is such a sweet girl."

"She's _evil_."

"Said a demon from the abyss of hell."

"You shut up!"

Uncle Joe was running a booth for a friend at the carnival. They were selling cakes, cookies and other pastries. Katie was supposed to watch the timer and take them out of the oven when they were ready. But unfortunately, all one hundred of them were burned so much they turned black. Katie was trying to explain to her dad how did it come to this with very unhelpful comments from Percy.

"You said she was here earlier today," Katie said. Lizzie Anderson had come over to her neighbors to ask for a few eggs by her mother's request. Calvin didn't think much of it and just said to go grab them from the kitchen. "When I came to take out the cookies and I came at the _right_ time the oven setting was supposed to be at 180 degrees Celsius, right?"

Her father sighed. "Yes.

"Yeah, but when I came to the kitchen it was at 250!"

"Katie, don't tell me you're accusing Lizzie of burning the cookies that _you_ were supposed to look after," He said it as if the whole idea was just ridiculous. "You can't just blame her for all of your mistakes. And even if she did it she surely didn't do it on purpose."

"But she did!" His daughter insisted. "Unlike you, I'm not blinded by her sweet angel face."

"Katie sweetie, can't we just forget about the entire case?"

She grumbled something under her breath.

"Great! Now go to your room, you rascals. We'll make a new batch as soon as Joe gets back from the store for the ingredients."

Begrudgingly, Katie did so with Percy dragging her behind him. But as soon as they climbed the ladder leading to the attic she started rambling again.

"What's her problem?! It's not like _I_ have ever done anything to her! It's not even only about the cookies. She has been like this since the day we met. Why can't she just _get a life_? Doesn't she have anything better to do than sabotaging mine?!"

"You're gonna be complaining for a while now, aren't you?" Percy watched amused as his friend paced back and forth fuming with anger. "Look, if it means so much to you there is always a wonderful thing called sweet revenge."

She stopped pacing. She looked at him intrigued and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'go on'.

~xXx~

The Anderson family was coming back home after a day at the funfair. Most of the town had been at the carnival because today the circus was performing and what was cooler than watching a tiger get whipped by a tiger-tamer and see the animal jump through a hula hoop. It was already late and they have eaten at various booths so they all went to sleep.

Well, maybe beside the cat.

The large green feline eyes were concentrated on a single tiny red dot. The cat pounced on the bright dot. But it moved and now was on the chair. Not giving up the furry animal jumped up onto the stool and then again on the desk knocking over a glass of water. Now the red spot stayed on the curtain. The feline got into position and pounced again onto the fabric. The claws made the cat hang onto the curtain but under its weight the metal tube the curtain was strung up on dropped crashing down at everything laying on the desk.

Lizzie woke up with a start. "What- What happened?"

She got out of the bed to turn on the lights. She squeaked when she heard a popping sound when she stepped on the carpet. She frantically tapped on the wall until she found the light switch. But with the light switch, she also turned on the ceiling fan.

Blue glitter and a white powder instantly started to fly around her room. It seemed it was dumped on the wings of the fan. Lizzie let out a high pitched scream. Which made the glitter get into her mouth. She coughed. Her entire room and herself was all covered in bright blue glitter and itching powder. There was also bubble wrap under her carpet. Her cat was still chasing after the ever moving dot knocking stuff all over her room. Lights started appearing in her house, her family members alarmed by the sudden commotion.

And just outside the house, there were two small figures sitting on the branch of a tree outside Lizzie's window fist-bumping.

~xXx~

"Uh oh, a pissed off cowgirl at three o'clock."

The next day Katie and Percy were at the carnival eating cotton candy and admiring their artwork from a few nights ago. They were taking down the last bits of the amusement park. They ain't gonna use the attractions with spray paint all over it anytime soon. Which was such a shame because there were some drawings Katie was especially proud of - mainly flowers and cupcakes. But now that the amusement park was gone the giant red and yellow tent was open. For days the circus has been unavailable.

But right now a certain pigtailed little girl was storming towards them with an angry expression.

"Hey, Liz," Katie greeted her as if they were old time friends.

"Shut up," Lizzie snapped. "You have destroyed my room! You know you will have to pay me back for all the damaged stuff, right?"

They just stared at her blankly in silence.

"Hello?!"

"You told me to shut up," Katie reminded. Lizzie looked at her ridiculed. "Anyway, you don't have any proof that we were the ones that broke into your room and put itching powder and glitter on your ceiling fan and bubble wrap under your carpet and then waited until you go to sleep and used a laser to make your cat destroy stuff. No proof at all." She smiled sweetly. "Oh, and by the way, you still have a bit of glitter in your hair."

"You-" She started to say, anger written all over her face. But then hands grabbed her from behind covering her mouth and restricting her movements.

The same thing happened to Katie and Percy who immediately started kicking and screaming. Percy even managed to elbow one of their attackers in the face but then two more grabbed him making him unable to move.

The three kids were dragged to the back of the circus tent. They were thrown harshly to one of the empty animal cages. The kidnappers left as quickly as they came in. Probably to go steal some more unexpecting kids. When Katie, Percy, and Lizzie looked around they saw not only caged animals but also other kids looking terrified and confused.

"Okay, so the circus people turned out to be kidnappers," Percy summed up. "Oh, joy."

"Oh my god," Lizzie spoke up. "I can't be kidnapped! M-my mom is going to be looking for me! This can't be happening!"

"Geez, chill," Katie told her unaffected by the current events. "It's not like the rest of us don't have families. My dad is going to notice we're not around. We are going to be free soon enough."

She hoped. Deep down she was pretty worried too. She and Percy usually stayed out all day and it never really concerned her father. And they have been gone for maximum three hours...

"Don't you realize what's happening?!" Lizzie stressed. "They are gonna sell us or- !"

"Oh, calm down," Katie cut her off.

" _Calm down_?! You're telling me to calm down?!"

And so on and so forth. It was both of the girls' worst nightmare. Being stuck together. They argued and yelled at each other for what seemed like hours. It was like punching each other with words. Painful and shocking. The fight went on for a bit longer. Both of the sides constantly hitting each other below the belt.

"You know what?!" Lizzie suddenly said. "Don't even talk to me."

"You're being such brat about this," Katie said rolling her green eyes.

"Well, at least I didn't cry when I didn't get my own pony for my birthday."

"I was five years old! Are you seriously gonna remind me that all the time?!"

"Oh, you bet I would!"

"You wanna go there?! Fine. Next time you are going to break your nose by running into a tree don't expect me to go for help again."

"You know this entire conversation is pointless, right?" Percy interjected.

"Shut up!" They both said in unison.

While they argued Percy just flat out walked through the bars of the cage. The cage was meant for elephants so it was easy to slip through. He walked up to the other cages and grabbed his black backpack and pulled out something resembling a screwdriver with a weirdly curved up metallic end. A picklock. He had many picklocks with different sizes and differently curved up ends.

Percy examined one of the padlocks of the cage the other kids were trapped in. They were in all kinds of different cages and none of them were big enough to slip through. And the keys weren't anywhere to be seen.

He picked the right picklock and started to work on the locks with the girls' arguing voices as a background. As soon as the doors were open the kids started running out. It continued like this until the three of them were the only ones left. Katie and Lizzie still engrossed in their fight.

Percy sighed and opened the lock to their cell just because.

He whistled loudly to grab the girls' attention. "You done yet?"

They turned to look at him. Then at the open doors. He was met with dumbfounded stares.

"What- how-" When Katie put two and two together she said, "You could've done that all along?!"

" _Yeah_ ," He said it as if saying 'duh'. "Now come on before the circus guys realize we escaped."

~xXx~

Katie and Percy were walking back because they were in no mood to stay around at the carnival. As they parted ways with Lizzie they have just glared at each other without another word (Percy rolled his eyes at that).

"So... that's it?" Percy spoke up as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "No happy ending? No redemption? No peace between you and her?"

Katie snorted. "The only peace either of us will have is when one of us drops dead. Preferably her."

Percy laughed. "Understandable."

They walked in a comfortable silence enjoying each other's presence.

"Although, it's kinda disappointing," Katie said after a couple of minutes.

"What is?"

"That she didn't suffer more," She said as if it was the most normal thing to say.

"Don't worry. When we were preparing our prank I've put hair dye in her shampoo." Why was Percy carrying hair dye, blue glitter, itching powder, picklocks and spray paints in his backpack, Katie didn't know. But she was glad he did.

She laughed imagining Lizzie screech after looking at the mirror after showering. "I love you." She said between laughs and slung one arm around Percy's narrow shoulders.


	5. Holding cell

_Survivors of abuse show us the strength of their personal spirit every time they smile._

* * *

"Okay, but in our defense, we were left _unsupervised,_ " Percy deadpanned.

Calvin Gardner was looking at his daughter and her friend sternly. He has just walked in on then causing chaos in the kitchen. A green gooey substance covered the walls, tiles and the entire table. As well as the two nuisances looking at him guiltily. Trying at least, because he saw them suppressing smirks. They were making a cocktail in the blender. But of course, like every self-respecting kid, they 'forgot' to put the lid on causing the mash of fruits splatter all over the place. Not only that but apparently the two were also microwaving yesterday's dinner. But they left the metal forks on the plates which caused the sparks to fly and now smoke is everywhere on the first floor of the house.

Long story short, they had to clean up the kitchen and got grounded for life. But for today Calvin told to go outside and go make someone else's life miserable while he calls someone who can do something about the microwave.

"You know what would be fun?" Percy asked after they were kicked out and the front door was shut behind them. He said it in that voice Katie knew meant only trouble.

"Knowing you," Katie sighed. "it probably involves destruction or something illegal. And we already destroyed pretty much half of the kitchen so..." She drawled out for Percy to finish.

He smiled. "Come on, we are gonna need a ride."

~xXx~

Before starting their journey the two went to grab a few things from the treehouse. The same one that has saved them the day they have met. It was a tall and thick oak tree. The long tree branches were hanging just above the lake. Some time ago they tied a rope to one of the branches to swing from them and jump into the lake. That was a fun day.

They use the treehouse to store private (read: illegal) stuff. But over the past month, it became something more than that. Katie always sat there when she wanted to spend her time drawing or reading. Percy mainly keeps there his spray paints and other mysterious stuff Katie doesn't know about yet. They sit there when they don't feel like interacting with other people. Sometimes they just sit there talking about everything and nothing. The treehouse became their super secret headquarters, hoarding place, dwelling place, and their safe haven.

Percy and Katie quickly climbed up the ladder and grabbed their essentials. Katie just slipped on her black jeans jacket on her green t-shirt. She liked the jacket because it had lots of pockets and a few hidden ones. She could basically fit everything in it. Percy, of course, already had his blue hoodie on. He just needed to take his backpack (which Katie slowly started to respect). It seemed as if both of them wore the same thing whole summer. Katie's green t-shirt and simple shorts and Percy's band shirt and jeans (and the inseparable hoodie). Only when they sneak out at night do they wear something different. Black clothes so they would be harder to spot if anyone was looking for them (mainly the cops).

Jumping out of the treehouse Percy motioned with his head for Katie to follow him. They ran to the forest.

"Aren't we gonna take horses?" Katie asked.

"Not this time," Percy answered as they kept running.

They made their to the main road and followed it. The two were walking for an hour or so passing a few grocery stores, gas stations, and more meadows. Perks of living in a middle of nowhere.

"Were here," Percy stated as he stopped walking in front of the railroad tracks.

Katie looked at him blankly. "We have been walking for an hour and forty-two minutes to get _here_." There was a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "We would've got here in half of that time if we were riding horses! Why are we even standing here in the middle of nowhere?!"

That's when she heard the metal rails trembling and a certain vehicle moving. They looked left and saw a train coming.

"Just in time!" Percy gushed.

"What do you mean?!" She feared the answer.

"We gotta jump!"

"You're mad!"

"Don't tell me you noticed that just now!"

They tried to outshout the sound of the moving train. Percy grabbed Katie's hand. She looked at him with wide eyes. This was by far one of the craziest ideas that boy has come up with. And they once climbed the Ferris Wheel while it was moving.

The train has almost completely passed them but at the last second Percy yelled 'Now!' and jumped dragging Katie with him and grabbed the door handle at the back of the train. He stood on the step under the doors. Katie had a mini heart attack when she almost fell off that step but her friend had a firm grip on her hand and didn't let her fall.

"What now, genius?!" She yelled her hair wildly flying behind her. The doors were of course closed.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of the picklocks.

"Are you seriously going to pick the lock on the doors of a _moving train_?!"

Percy ignored her and concentrated on his work. It was indeed hard because he couldn't hear clearly the familiar clicks inside the lock that would indicate that it was open. Finally, he managed to break in and without warning swung the door open making both of them tumble to the ground inside the train.

They laid there groaning from pain.

"I. Hate. You." Percy heard Katie growl.

He laughed and got up. He offered Katie a hand but she slapped it away and got up by herself.

"We could have asked Uncle Joe to give us a ride." She glared at him.

"Maybe," He shrugged. "But it wouldn't have been so much fun."

"Where are we even going?"

"Nowhere in particular honestly." Percy opened the next door and ventured deeper into the train. She followed giving him one of those looks people give him all the time. A weird mixture of disbelief, disappointment, and anger.

They sat down on one of the empty seats. You could see only meadows, forests, and farms out the window. But well, that's just the place they lived in. As Katie watched the passing landscapes she got lost in her thoughts.

She realized just how much her life has changed since she met Percy Jackson. But to be fair his life changed drastically when he met Katie Gardner too. He just barged into her life as if saying 'Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock. Here have this one full of danger and unexpected action instead'. And for Percy, it was like 'I'm keeping you, you're mine now and you're not allowed to leave'. He taught her how to be more carefree and danger-loving. She taught him the true meaning of home and peace.

Katie felt a weight on her right shoulder. She turned her head from the window to Percy who was sitting next to her. He fell asleep and was leaning on her. That didn't surprise her. They go out at night so much they have to catch up on their sleep during the day. Because she was nice Katie carefully shifted her position so it was more comfortable for him.

As she got back to her musings she realized that she doesn't _really_ know Percy Jackson. Nothing about his past. Not his parents (if he has any). Not even why he was running from those police cars that day. All she does know is that the trouble seems to follow him wherever he went and that he knew more about this world than any eight-year-old should. He was just this self-reserved boy who seemed to have no sense of danger whatsoever. But she wanted to know more. The real Percy. Not only the troublemaker on the surface.

Before they knew it the train stopped, the side doors opened and the passengers scrambled out. From the countryside of San Antonio, they made it to the town of San Antonio. Katie elbowed Percy to wake him up. He whined and made a questioning sound.

"We are getting off now."

He stretched getting up and hopped off the train. Katie soon behind him.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked as she looked around the city. The streets were busy, people were passing each other on the sidewalk, cafes and diners were at every corner, and billboards were wherever you look.

"First-" Percy cut off as he heard a familiar jingle. "We're gonna chase down that ice cream truck."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

Next thing she knew they were running after the truck with a bunch of other kids (and a few adults) desperate for ice cream. When they finally caught up with it Katie asked for chocolate chip mint ice cream and Percy took the bluest one they had. Sometimes Katie wondered about his obsession with blue food.

They went to sit down on the bench by the sidewalk.

"I've gathered you all here," Percy started to say using his ice cream cone as a microphone. "Because of life-saving matter."

Katie looked at him amused. "Yes?"

"Namely..." He paused for a dramatic effect. "Pickpocketing!" He said it a bit too loudly making the bystanders look at him weird and speedwalk away from them.

"Why am I not surprised," Katie said to herself.

Percy started to teach Katie the art of pickpocketing. The key was to act casual. The first prey was a young woman with her eyes concentrated on her phone while walking. She had a bag hanging from her shoulder. Percy used her as a demonstration to show Katie more or less what to do. When she passed them he got up and started walking behind her slowly inching closer. Then as he inspected the contents of the almost completely zipped up bag he sped up his pace and when he his hovered above her bag with one smooth movement he reached down for the wallet on the inside side pocket opening the zip ever so slightly and pulled it out. As soon as he fished it out he casually walked away from the lady.

He threw the wallet to Katie who was watching the whole process.

"It's probably pointless to explain to you that stealing is not right," Katie said taking out the dollar bills out of the small purse. She got a quick 'no' from Percy. "And I'm probably not going to get an answer why you even know how to do that." And another 'nope'. "So let's start our treasure hunt."

Katie chose a teenage couple to be her first victim. Percy told her to act natural and make it quick so they don't have the chance to start suspecting anything. The guy's leather wallet and phone were in his back pocket. It should be easy enough. She was walking behind them and feeling a bit anxious she just grabbed the money and fled the crime scene.

"Not bad, Dimples," Percy praised as she walked up to him. "But you were too tense. We don't wanna attract any attention. Some people like to butt in."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, oh wise one. What else do you have in store."

"Now, let me show you another technique."

He started walking down the sidewalk and the goal is to seem distracted he looked everywhere but not ahead. A rushing businesswoman was walking quickly checking her watch every few seconds. Percy purposely bumped into her making her stumble when he fell backward. She looked at him annoyed but lend him a hand just for the sake of being nice. He took the offered hand and got up. After that, he got back to Katie who was watching the scene confused.

"So what was that supposed to be?" She asked.

Percy smirked and took out his hands from his pockets and opened his palm. He was holding three golden rings. "Ya think we can sell it on the black market?"

The girl looked at him surprised and impressed. She tried on the rings. "I think I'm gonna keep one."

Katie gave Percy back two of them but left the one with the leaf pattern on her pointer finger.

They continued like that for two or so hours until... they got caught.

To summarize it, an elderly man noticed when they were robbing a guy and intervened. They tried to make themselves seem as two innocent kids who didn't even know what they were doing. But they called cops anyway. The police officers investigated the situation and after finding out Katie's and Percy's parents 'aren't around' they decided to take the two with them. At the police station, they were explaining to them why is it wrong to steal. They just sat there nodding and not looking anybody in the eyes pretending to be normal guilty children with normal lives. Boy was that hard. But in the end, the police guys just asked them about their legal guardians. They said they had the same parents because it was just easier this way and believable. When they were asked for their parent's phone number they answered that they didn't know. Instead, they gave them some false info on where they live so they could go pick up their parents who in return will pick up them.

And that's how Katie and Percy ended up in a holding cell waiting for the cops to bring their fake parents. The duo stood there holding the bars that were keeping them from freedom.

After a moment of silence, Katie spoke up. "You do realize my father can never know about this, right?"

"Yeah..." _Except they took our stuff and I don't have my picklocks,_ Percy added in his mind but didn't want to say that out loud. "But we have a certain advantage!"

She turned her ever so slowly to look at him blankly. "And that is?"

"Well, they think we are just some two kids that were trying to have some mindless fun."

"And that is going to help us how?"

Percy opened his mouth but hesitated. "I don't know yet."

They stood there waiting for what seemed like ages but it was just a few minutes. Katie recalled a teacher telling her father that she might have ADHD. She wasn't even sure what that is.

Katie and Percy moved around then and there feeling bored out of their minds. Sitting down, then after a minute getting up and pacing again. It was both boring and uncomfortable. After running wildly around and about, sitting in an unknown confined place wasn't the most pleasant feeling.

Then suddenly Katie spoke up. Something was bothering her since the time they got here. "Why did you flinch so hard back then?"

It was so out of the blue Percy didn't know if he heard her right. "Huh?"

"You know," Katie sat down next to Percy leaning against the wall. "that guy we were pickpocketing. When that old man told him we were stealing from him he went nuts." The man had been indeed furious.

"Oh," Percy's face went dark. "Uh, it was nothing. Just reflexes."

She frowned. "Percy, I can tell when you are lying. I know you too much."

He started to absentmindedly play with the string of his hoodie. A nervous tick, she observed.

"It's just..." Percy sighed. "Look, maybe there was a time when someone didn't hesitate when he swung at me."

Katie's eyes widened. She remembered the topic she has been thinking about on the train. She doesn't know anything about Percy. Nothing about his past. And from the looks of it, she doesn't think she wants to know. Though it explained a few things. He got all alert and jumpy every time he heard glass shatter and he always seemed so self-conscious when being yelled at. Katie's mind thought of the worst-case scenarios. She was horrified by what might have happened to her friend in the past.

She didn't know what to say.

"I don't really like to talk about my life before I came to Texas. But you already figured that." He ran his hand through his messy hair. "I used to live in New York."

Was he actually opening up to her? Katie stared at him in disbelief.

"I have a mom," Percy said with a fond look in his eyes. "She was the best. Blue food is actually our little inside joke, you know."

Katie noticed he didn't say a word about his dad. She was afraid to say anything but curiosity got to her. "Why- Why did you run away then?"

Percy traced the tiny scar he had under his jaw.

"I mean you don't have to tell me of course." She didn't want to stir some unpleasant memories. And hearing about this just felt too intimate. It was as if she was butting in someone's life. A silence fell upon them again.

"Hey, Dimples. Promise me one thing," Percy requested.

"Anything."

"Promise me that... you'll be there. You know, for me. No matter where I am."

"Of course!" Katie took his hand and squeezed it tight. "You don't even have to ask. I _will_ be there. No matter where, no matter what."

He smiled at her. It was a real genuine smile. It made his green eyes sparkle.

Suddenly, he got up and said, "You know what? I got bored of this. Let's get out of here."

He stood up and walked up to the bars. Katie followed suit. It was time to use the opportunity that these people don't know how Katie and Percy really are.

"Hey," Percy called out to the police officer at the desk. But she didn't hear him so he yelled out again,"Hey, copper!"

She looked up confused and glared irritated when Percy waved at her. She sighed. "Yes?"

"Do you, like, always just sit there at that desk watching over 'criminals' like us? I mean you gotta be a crappy cop if they assigned this job to you."

Katie caught up on what was Percy doing. He was playing the role of a bratty kid with a loud mouth. It probably wasn't challenging for him. After all, he was a pro at being annoying.

The police officer fumed. "For your information, all of the officers have the duty to guard the holding cell. Unfortunately, today it happened to be me."

"You keep telling yourself that," Percy mocked. Then he whispered to Katie, "When she comes here grab the keys." She nodded.

"I don't have to explain myself or anything to you, punk," The officer barked. "So shut your trap."

"Oooh, scary. Wanna come up here and tell that to my face? Oh, right. You can't. Violence would be _against the law_. This job must be so frustrating."

She slammed the pen she was writing with onto the desk and loudly stood up and stormed up towards them. Katie prepared herself to grab the keys.

"Listen, here, brat," She spit out at him looking at him dangerously.

While the police officer rambled on and Percy nodding to her lectures like it actually had any kind of meaning what she was saying to him, Katie carefully held out her hand for the jiggling keys.

"...and if you don't want to be strapped up to the electric chair you'll shut your face. Understood?!" She demanded. To tell you the truth she has spit out some mean swear words during that statement but seeing as it's a K rated story they have been bleeped out.

"Yes, ma'am," Percy saluted putting on his best angel face.

She snorted and walked away.

"Got them?" Percy asked Katie in a hushed voice.

She opened her palm where the silver objects rested. She sent him a smug smile.

"Sweet," Percy said and they fist bumped.

* * *

 **So, Katie got a little sneak peak of Percy's past. Soon enough she'll find out about all his secrets and I think you all know where I'm going with this.**

 **You know I realized my chapters are getting longer and longer. Which DRIVES MY OCD MAD. But hopefully, it makes you happier.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, YA CRIMINALS.**


	6. It's not a goodbye, it's a see you later

_You can't just touch my soul and leave._

* * *

 _Percy covered his ears when he heard glass shatter. He had his knees pressed close to his chest and his eyes were tightly shut. He has been hiding on_ _the fire escape for maybe half an hour. It was night and it was cold and loud. He heard furniture tumbling, things breaking and incoherent yelling from his apartment window._

 _His stepfather got drunk. For the millionth time. His mother was taking a night shift and Percy was all alone with that alcoholic. He didn't blame his mother for working for so long. He may be young but he understood that she was the only one providing for this... 'family' wasn't the best word to describe them. He wasn't sure he knew the actual meaning of family. It has always been just him and his mom. An_ _d recently, that man who was nothing but a pain in the neck._

 _It wasn't his first time sitting on the fire escape waiting for the storm inside his apartment to end. And waiting for his mom's loving arms to come back home. His mom honestly deserved better. Not an alcoholic, abusive and disgusting husband. And... not a troublemaking son with mental issues. Sometimes he wondered if she would be better off without him. Maybe she would finally divorce that walrus and get a nice apartment. She wouldn't have to drive him to school at ungodly hours and catch up on her much needed sleep. She wouldn't have to cook so much or pay for his needs. And honestly, her social life would have been so much better if he wouldn't be around._

 _Percy considered leaving so many times._

 _Suddenly, the window above his head opened. "Oi, brat!"_

 _Percy's heartbeat sped up as he saw a green bottle raised above him. He managed to quickly dodge it but not without tiny pieces of glass cutting his skin._

 _Without thinking he grabbed his backpack that he always took with him when he was hiding from his stepfather and ran down the stairs of the fire escape. His skateboard should be waiting for him at the bottom. Percy didn't know where he was going but he knew he wasn't coming back. His mother will be happy without having to take care of him. He was convinced he was taking away the burden that he was._

 _~flashback~_

A beeping repetitive sound woke him up.

When he opened his eyes he saw a white, unfamiliar ceiling instead of the window on the ceiling of Katie's attic. He tried to get up but as soon as he made a movement his head started to hurt like it was being ripped open. He groaned from the pain and rubbed his head. But instead of scalp and hair, he felt a bandage wrapped around his head. His eyes widened. He frantically looked around.

White and pale blue walls, wooden floor, adjustable beds, monitors, one of them showed his heart rate, strange devices with a mass cables, and... Oh, dear.

Katie was laying on the other bed. It was next to the window and sunlight illuminated her unusually pale skin in a way that made her seem like a ghost. She was shirtless, her chest and torso were wrapped with bandages.

They were in a hospital.

But how? When? Have they been sleeping for long? What day is it? He found the button that he assumed summoned a nurse. He clicked it repeatedly. A minute later a young man who was a nurse rushed into the room.

"Ah! I see you've woken up."

Percy immediately started showering him with questions. He needed to know how did it come to this.

"Easy there," soothed the man. "Don't strain yourself. You two have been unconscious since yesterday. You had a concussion but don't worry your memories should return after a few hours."

"What about Katie?" Percy asked instantly. Worry etched his features.

The nurse hesitated. "She has broken ribs. But it's nothing that won't heal by itself."

That didn't make Percy feel any better. "Do you know what happened?"

"I'm sorry. I have no idea." Percy's face fell. "I'll bring you something to eat. For now, rest."

Percy let his body fall back on to the mattress. Which was a bad idea because a headache came back full force. He tried to remember what has brought them here. One of his stunts for sure. But he couldn't recall anything.

The door opened again and there ran in Katie's dad. He had been informed that one of them has woken up. He noticed it was Percy.

"Percy!" Calvin ran up to his bed. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Um, no. Not really." Calvin sighed in relief. "What happened?" Percy was afraid to ask his second question. "Did- Did I do something? Are we in the hospital because of me?"

Katie's dad looked at him surprised. "No. No, of course not. It was an accident. We were in the city. You were skateboarding and that motorcycle was about to hit you but then Katie jumped at you to get you outta the way and she got hit instead. When you fell you hit your head against the concrete and well, here we are."

"She- She saved me..."

"That she did." Calvin saw how the boy was shaking and his complexion went pale. "Kid, you should rest now." Percy opened his mouth but Calvin said, "Katie will be fine. And so are you." He squeezed his bony shoulder and walked out of the room.

Percy was left to his thoughts. Katie has saved his life. Somehow it felt like it was his fault she got hurt. If he hadn't been so careless, it wouldn't have come to this. Now she was laying there motionlessly and hardly breathing. First, he ruins his mom's life and now, he sends his best friend to a hospital. It seemed like wherever he went he brought disaster.

The nurse came back and left him a tray of food in front of him on the small table that was attached to his bed.

While he was eating he saw out of the corner of his eye, Katie moving. Her closed eyelids were fluttering. He heard her groan in pain. She was waking up.

"Welcome back to Kansas," Percy joked. He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Katie looked around with a confused look. Then her eyes widened. "What- Are you okay? Wait- what happened? Why are we in a hospital?"

Percy summed up the recent events to her. She was shocked.

"It takes a very special kind of idiot to pull off what you have done," Percy told her with a gentle look.

"I'm one of a kind," She laughed hoarsely. He handed her a glass of water. She nodded gratefully.

"So, tell me," Percy tried to lighten the mood. "What was it like to have a near-death experience?"

Katie snorted. "You tell me."

"I don't remember. You have thrown yourself at me and now I have this ninja bandana on my head," He accused pointing to the bandage on his forehead.

"Don't be a baby," she said. "And I didn't _throw myself_ at you! I tried to help you!"

Percy's features softened. "Yeah. Thanks for saving me by the way."

She smiled. "No prob."

Days for the duo went on dreadfully long. They were just laying on these godforsaken beds all day long. Every time a doctor or a nurse would come and check on them, they would ask when will they get out of the hospital. 'When you get better' was the only answer they received. Yeah, thanks for the detailed info.

It was like an endless sleepover. Katie's dad brought some of their stuff. Katie mainly was playing with her red yo-yo (knocking stuff up with the toy). They would also watch movies on the laptop a lot. One of them would go to the other's bed for these occasions. Which resulted in her dad taking embarrassing photos of the two cuddling. Uncle Joe visited them every day. He always had an interesting story to amuse them with and he always brought some snacks.

When neither of them was around, Katie and Percy liked to mess with their caretakers. Their doctor would wonder how did this potato get into his pocket or why was he so itchy all of a sudden. They got a few good laughs out of these harmless pranks.

"But _daddy_ ," Katie whined.

"That's not gonna work."

"But _daddy_ ," This time Percy tried.

"That won't either."

Katie and Percy were sitting on the same bed next to the window. The laptop currently closed on the table. They wanted to go outside. Just for a little while. But the doctor strictly declined. They weren't in a good condition yet.

The duo exchanged looks. They turned to look at Calvin with giant sad puppy eyes. The man admittedly faltered. But he stood his ground.

"Listen, kids. I know it must be boring to just sit there all the time but you need to get better."

One of the nurses opened the door. "Ms. Gardner? Visiting hours are up."

He nodded. "See? I need to go. Don't cause any trouble."

~xXx~

"What part of 'Don't cause any trouble' didn't you understand?" Calvin asked exasperatedly.

"We're sorry," They said in unison.

Right after Katie's dad left, the two have got out of their room and found a wheelchair. Naturally, they hopped on and started riding it through the hallways passing startled people and knocking things on the way. Their ride ended when they crashed into a wall.

They have received a few bruises from that ride. The doctor had scolded them thoroughly.

"It won't happen again," Katie assured.

"Sure it won't," The doctor said. "You two won't be here long enough! You're getting out tomorrow."

The kids cheered and high fived.

It was a relief for both parties. Katie and Percy didn't have to be stuck in the hospital anymore and the doctor had these troublemakers out of his hair.

~xXx~

The next day Katie was sitting in the treehouse drawing in her sketchbook. They weren't allowed to go horse riding, go swimming in the lake, or do anything they usually did. And they were grounded. They could only sit there and do nothing. Not much better than it was in the hospital.

She looked up when she heard someone climbing the ladder. Percy popped his head from the opening on the floor.

"Hey, Dimples," He greeted. "I found you something."

As he sat in front of her he held up a white hat. It was her cowboy hat that she lost when they were running away from those police cars on Steadfast.

"What?" She was surprised. "Where did you find it? I was looking all over for it!"

"Oh, you know," Percy said and watched as Katie enthusiastically put it on. "It was stuck in the bushes in the forest."

"Thank you," She said gratefully.

"It's no big deal," He shrugged and stood up. He opened his backpack and started packing his stuff scattered in the treehouse.

"What are you doing? Are we going out somewhere? You know we're grounded."

"I know. You are staying."

"What?!" Katie demanded. She stood up and turned Percy to face her. "What are you talking about? If you think you're going on a heist alone you're mistaken."

"I'm not going on a heist," He said softly. Shouldering his backpack he jumped out of the treehouse.

She jumped after him. "Wait, then where are you going?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions." Percy made his way to the stable and straight for Oakley's box.

"Well, _yeah._ My best friend is running off to somewhere without me or even telling me where is he going. Since when do we keep secrets from each other?" Katie noticed that he wasn't saddling up Oakley. He just petted her snout and stared at her with... sadness? "Percy... ?"

He touched foreheads with Oakley. Then he turned to face her and look her in the eyes. "I am leaving, Katie."

She stared at him dumbstruck. It was strange hearing him call her 'Katie'. He never called her by her name. It was always 'Dimples' or sometimes other ridiculous nicknames.

"W- Wait, _what_?"

"You heard me." He passed her and walked out of the stable. She stared at the spot he was just standing in for a moment and then ran after him.

"No, no, no, no," She grabbed his shoulder. "You can't just- Why?"

"Because" Guilt showed in his eyes. "if you haven't noticed I'm not exactly the best influence. And you got- you got _hurt._ Because of me."

"That's _not_ true. I pushed you out of the way because I wanted to. It was _my_ decision. I am glad I made that decision. And I don't care if you're a good or a bad influence!"

"But _I_ do." He gulped. "If I wasn't there, you wouldn't get hurt. Besides... I guess it's high time I... get back home."

"No!" Katie had tears in her eyes. "You don't have to! You belong here."

"I don't belong anywhere." She saw from his look that she won't change his mind. It wasn't fair. Percy had given excitement and color to her life. But she gave Percy things he would treasure forever. Memories, inside jokes, shared secrets, wordless conversations, mindless conversations. It was just as hard for him as it was for her.

She looked down. "At least, tell me where I can find you."

"You already know I live in New York," Percy gave her a sad smile. "Hey," He straightened her shoulders so she would look at him. "The summer is ending anyway. And we wouldn't be able to see each other often. You'll have school, homework and all that. Katie," There it is again. He called her by her name. "It's not like it's a goodbye. It's just... See you later?"

For a moment she didn't say anything. Katie swallowed the lump in her throat and blinking away her tears she smiled. "Sure. I'll see you later."

With one last fistbump, Percy hopped on his skateboard and skated away.

Katie took off her hat. She noticed small blue flowers attached to it. Forget Me Nots. That jerk.

* * *

 **I was once hit by a car. And honestly, at first it didn't hurt all that much and I lost my memory but it came back after a few hours. But the _next day_ it felt like an ARMY TANK had trampled me! My hip hurt for WEEKS.**

 **Katie and Percy parted ways! Yay!**

 **Next chapter: Back to New York.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, fellow _criminals_.**


	7. Miles apart

_A criminal always returns to the crime scene._

* * *

Percy was traveling by train swiftly avoiding the ticket controller. People were giving him weird looks through his entire journey. He figured it was odd seeing an eight-year-old wearing dirty and worn out clothes hopping from train to train without any parents. But honestly, the world has seen stranger people. Like that one-eyed man, he was convinced he saw once outside his school. The weird part though is that he had an eye right in the middle of his forehead. No one believed him of course. He was just 'a kid with a wild imagination'.

After a couple of weeks, he finally made it to his hometown, New York City. The streets were as always very busy, crowds of people passing each other on the sidewalk, taxis constantly pulling over and picking someone up. Skyscrapers, signs, and billboards at every corner.

It was so much different from Texas at Ms. Gardner's farm. There you could see a cow standing in the middle of the street. The only animal you can see in the middle of the street in New York is a runover squirrel.

Percy remembered looking back at that farm he grew to consider home. And all those people he was leaving behind.

"They won't miss me too much," He said to himself. But then he shook his head. "Guess it's too late for that. I already gave those people memories."

Now he was skating through the streets of the big city heading to the candy shop his mother worked in. He knew there was no point in going to his apartment because his mom usually worked during these hours and there was always the possibility of meeting _him_. Oh, he really hoped his mom had kicked his stepfather out of their lives.

But first Percy stopped at the flower shop. He needed to make it up to her for disappearing for so long. He went up to the cashier. She was a tall and muscular woman with sleeve tattoos and a buzzcut hairstyle. It was pretty odd to see such a character at a flower shop but Percy of all people wasn't one to judge.

"Um, hi," He walked up to her. "I'm looking for flowers for my mom. A bouquet of blue flowers to be exact."

The cashier looked at him intrigued. "I almost never see such a small fry coming to a flower shop. What's the occasion?"

"Uh, well, I haven't seen her for... a while now. And she was probably very worried and... I guess giving her flowers would a good start."

"Ah, so a reunion!" She exclaimed as she left the counter and walked through the shop. "I'll see what I can find."

"It's important for them to be blue." He was trailing after her. "It's kinda our thing."

"Right. Let's give this bouquet a bit of meaning." She started to pick some flowers. "Carnations which mean mother's love, lilies meaning purity and roses for love just for good measures."

Percy inspected the big bouquet. "They're all white."

"Well, yes. I can dye them blue for ya. We have real blue flowers but none of them would have just the right meaning," The florist explained.

"Okay then."

A few minutes later he thanked and paid the lady for the now blue flowers. He didn't have to but the cashier was nice and his mother wouldn't be happy if he gave her a stolen gift.

Before he walked into the small candy shop he made sure he hid any bits of blood or bruises on him. His mother could fuss over the tiniest of things. He got rid of the leafs in his hair and dusted the dirt off his clothes. He grabbed the door handle, twisted it and walked in. The doorbell signaled that another customer came in.

Lots of colorful candies were lining up on the shelves in the store. On the side, there was standing a cashier behind the cash register. The guy looked up from his phone.

"Hello," He greeted looking at the boy weird. Percy looked like one of those people you would avoid in the dark alley but he was also holding a giant bouquet. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Sally Jackson," He said a bit nervously.

The guy raised his eyebrows at that. That's unusual. He held up one finger for the boy to wait one second. Then he entered the room that was behind the counter.

"Hey, Sally a boy just walked in and asked for you? He must be no more than ten years old."

She looked at him confused and followed her coworker.

Percy was standing there awkwardly holding the flowers. When he saw his mother he said, "Hi? Um... I'm back?"

Sally froze and looked at him with disbelieving eyes. Then tears started to well up her face. She covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh, Percy!" She threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. A warm joy and sweet relief overwhelmed her. Her son was back. And safe. She was so afraid to let him go scared that he might run off to somewhere again. She kissed the top of his head letting her tears run freely. The faint smell of the ocean never left him. He seemed to be less thin than she remembered. Which she was glad for. That meant he didn't go days without food.

"Um, these are for you... ?" Sally heard her son say with that sweet voices she missed so much. She looked down to see flowers in different shades of blue. She smiled eyes full of endearment.

"Oh my gods, they are beautiful," She took the offered flowers. Then she got back to hugging the life out of her son. After a moment Sally glanced down at him seriously. "Don't you ever leave me again."

They heard a photo being taken. It was the cashier guy holding up his phone. "Aww, isn't that a cute scene. Want me to send it to you, Sally?"

She laughed. "That would be appreciated. Thanks." She turned back to Percy. "Come on, you need to tell me everything about where you have been, young man."

Percy with pleasure talked about his stay at San Antonio. He mostly talked about Katie and their adventures. Leaving out the illegal stuff. Sally would never forget the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about his summer. She was so glad he was back.

~xXx~

While Percy was having his happy reunion with his mother Katie was having the worst days of her life.

Summer was over. She had to wake up at an inhumane hour and deal with all the jerks at her school. And without Percy around everything seemed to slow down. There was no action or excitement in her daily life anymore. No sneaking out at night because it would just make it even harder to wake up in the morning. No running away from the law. Nothing unexpected happened. She wasn't living in the moment anymore.

Which really sucked, to say the least.

Now her life is monotonous. Go to school, survive, do your homework, max fifteen minutes for horse riding, do your chores at home, meals somewhere in between all this and go to sleep. And all over again tomorrow. Katie couldn't believe that her life used to look like that.

"Where's your boyfriend, Katie? Already dumped you, huh? Can't blame him." She heard snickers of a certain Lizzie Anderson and her followers.

"Haven't you had enough?" Katie retorted. "Or do you want more itching powder to that yellow excuse of hair stuck to your head."

During their prank, Percy had put bleach in her shampoo. Now Lizzie's once brown hair is a sick unnatural yellow with a bit of her natural color at the roots.

The girl scowled at Katie. She had a mental break down when she got out of her shower to see her hair ruined like this. "Oh, go milk your cows."

"Wow, I always knew something was wrong with you. But not being able to tell horses from cows..."

She scoffed. "Well, at least _I_ wasn't abandoned by some random boy picked up from a street."

Katie accidentally broke the pencil she was holding. A sudden rush of rage fell over her when that bleached bimbo dared to mention Percy. She felt the need to punch something but contained herself. Gathering her stuff she stood up and stormed out of the class that was about to start. It was the last class she had today anyway.

At some point, Katie had gone to the student counselor - Miss Philia. Katie really felt the need to ramble about how her life sucked at this moment. And who was better than an adult whose job it is to listen to kids complain about their problems.

The school's counselor was a young happy go lucky woman. But she also knew how to give out philosophical yet understandable advice. It was easy to talk to her because unlike every other adult at school she didn't treat her patients as children. More like her friends. No matter how sad that sounded like.

"...and I'm not saying that it is all _his_ fault for my misery. But it is," Katie finished. She was talking quickly and furiously with wild hand gestures. She was sitting in Miss Philia's office talking her feelings out.

The woman chuckled. "You really miss him. Understandable, of course. Just by listening to you talking about him I can tell that you two share a deep bond."

"If you end up telling me I am going to fall in love with him I'm walking out of this room right now," Katie said with a blank look.

"That's not what I'm implying," Miss Philia laughed. "You are too young to experience _this_ kind of love. And usually when you know someone since such a young age and so thoroughly at that, you can't really think of them as a potential romantic partner. It would feel as if you'd be dating your sibling. I understand that." She sighed and said 'more than you'd think' under her breath. Katie was confused. "But well, you came here for a reason I assume."

"I just... don't know what to do."

"You know, there's this saying: If you love something, let it go. If it was meant to be, it will come back to you." She eyed the student observantly. "But what if you listen to that saying and your friend will too? Both of you will just stay there on the opposite side's of the country waiting for the other to show up. You have to consider both of your point of views. And who knows? Maybe he needs you just as much as you need him right now."

"So you're saying..." Katie said unsurely. "That I should go after him?"

"I'm telling you that you should do what feels right." Miss Philia wasn't disappointed when she noticed the determined glint the girl's eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Philia." Katie that grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the office.

Philia smiled knowingly. "May this bond be forever intertwined."

* * *

 **Philia is a minor Greek goddess of friendship. But it's also one of the main types of love in Greek mythology. You know like Eros is a sexual love, Agape unconditional love, Ludus playful love, and Philia is love between friends (there are many more, these are just a few main ones). Philia concerned the deep comradely friendship that developed between brothers in arms who had fought side by side on the battlefield. It was about showing loyalty to your friends,** **sacrificing for them, as well as sharing your emotions with them. It is considered to be a brotherly or sisterly bond between people. AND YES KATIE AND PERCY HAD BEEN JUST BLESSED BY THE GODDESS OF FRIENDSHIP.**

 **Also, you may have noticed that I am trying to break stereotypes that most people don't even give a second thought. The nurse is a dude. The florist is a tough tattoed strong female. And there will be more to come probably.**

 **Next chapter: Past Abuse. Or maybe still ongoing...**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	8. You won't get rid of me, deal with it

_We have yet so many stupid things to do._

* * *

 _"Hey, Dimples. Promise me one thing," Percy requested._

 _"Anything."_

 _"Promise me that... you'll be there. You know, for me. No matter where I am."_

 _"Of course!" Katie took his hand and squeezed it tight. "You don't even have to ask. I will be there. No matter where, no matter what."_

And she was going to stick to that promise.

After school, Katie had emptied her backpack full of books and filled it up with essentials she's going to need for her journey. Some spare clothes, snacks that they have been hoarding in their treehouse, sketchbook, allowance money and her yo-yo. With that, she put on her black jeans jacket and headed for the train station (because she had common sense and wasn't planning to be splattered to death by jumping into the train).

She didn't bother buying a ticket. She only had so much money and avoiding the law had become one of her best skills over the summer. Her dad will be so worried but she will try to explain everything to him after she finds Percy. Hopefully, he'll understand.

The trip was long. Too long for her anxious little self. Katie was constantly tapping her fingers on whatever solid surface her fingers rested on. For some reason, she had this weird gut feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Finally arriving in New York Katie began tracking down her best friend. She knew the street he lived on but not the exact location. After asking the local people and different landlords for directions she found herself in front of his door.

Katie raised her fist to knock but she froze. _I'm telling you that you should do what feels right,_ Miss Philia had said. See back then it _did_ feel right. Almost mandatory. But now... she wasn't so sure. Percy might be happy with his life. He might be sitting there at the dinner table with his lovely mother and who knows? Maybe even with his father too. She doesn't know how his home life looks like after all. She didn't want to barge in and ruin it for him. But then again that's what _he_ has done the day they met. Her hand was still raised above the wood.

Suddenly, she heard something crash inside the apartment. And then something solid falling down. Her eyes widened. Instead of knocking her hand traveled to the door handle and cautiously twisted it. Unsurely opening the door she walked in. What she saw made her expression shift from worry to rage.

The apartment reeked of smoke and alcohol. Which was understandable considering all the beer bottles and burned out cigarets laying on the ground.

The thing that made her blood boil was the overweight bald drunkard standing over Percy's crouched form. There were tiny pieces of glass on him and on the floor. That man must have thrown one of the bottles at Percy. He was shielding his head with his arms and pressed his body against the wall behind him. He tried to make himself a small target and Katie hated seeing him like that. Percy Jackson wasn't supposed to be so... vulnerable and self-conscious. He rode horses while standing up, he jumped into a moving train, he escaped from jail with her, he took her graffiti painting and pickpocketing. She would have never imagined him being so helpless like right now. And seeing her danger-loving and risktaking idiot cower from that poor excuse of a man made her see red.

Before Katie knew what she was doing she picked up one of the bottles, approached the man from behind and smashed the bottle against his head not giving him the chance to throw a punch on the already bleeding boy. The man fell instantly unconscious. Her heart was beating fast. Dropping the remains of the glass she ran up to her friend.

Percy didn't look up when he heard the glass break and someone falling down. Or when he heard light footsteps coming towards him. His body just became tense. He flinched visibly when a hand touched his shoulder.

Katie stared at him horrified when he actually flinched away from her. She bit her lip.

"Um, h-hey. Percy, it's me." He knew that voice. His eyes shot open and cautiously put his hands down away from his face. It was her. She was really there.

"Katie..." When she heard his quiet voice she threw her arms around him careful not to irritate his wounds. He hugged her back with shaking arms. "I-I..."

"Shut up. Just come with me," She said as she took his hand and lead him away from that apartment.

They found a bench and Katie started taking out band-aids and disinfector out of her backpack. This wasn't their first time when they were licking their wounds like this. The heists they went out on weren't always safe so they made sure they had the first ais kit with them all the time. She was concentrated when she slowly and carefully took out the small pieces of glass off Percy's skin and treated his wounds. He was wincing from time to time but didn't say anything. By the time she was finished his arms and face were covered in the colorful band-aids.

"Thanks," Percy said not looking at her in the eye.

"Who was that?" Katie asked worriedly. "And why..."

She couldn't find the right words. So Percy took it from there and explained everything. He revealed all his secrets to her. About his family. About his single, hardworking mom. His dad lost at sea. His... stepfather. And how he ran away and met her.

"Why are you here?" He asked as he finished his story. "I left Texas so you wouldn't get hurt anymore. I didn't want you to have this life."

"Hey," She smiled. "it _was_ supposed to be no _matter where._ "

"And _no matter what._ Yeah, I remember," Percy said with a fond smile. "But you-"

"No. Shut up. You're not getting rid of me. Deal with it."

They laughed and hugged each other tiredly.

~xXx~

"Okay... so when you ran away from home you met Katie. And you in return ran away from your home to see Percy again."

They shrugged. "I follow him around," said Katie at the same time Percy said, "I follow her around."

Katie and Percy were explaining themselves to Sally in the candy shop. They were sitting at the table in the back room telling her about the recent events. Except maybe the Percy getting beaten up by his drunk stepfather incident. Percy's mom was impressed and scared at same time. She didn't know many eight-year-olds that would travel across the country just to see each other. These two were obviously really close. She was also scared for their well being and how it must have been going on a trip like this all alone.

Sally stared at them dubiously. "Okay, wow. I admire the dedication but, Katie," at that moment Sally turned into a worried mom. "where is your family? Do they know where you are? I bet they are really worried."

"Yeah, I know I will have to explain all that to my dad too," the girl said reluctantly.

"I'll have to call him to pick you up, you know," Sally informed.

"What? _Mom-_ ," Percy started to say.

"Whether Katie stays here or not isn't my decision to make." She looked at the kids sympathetically when she saw their faces fell. "Look, I can tell that this means much to you. And I'll do whatever I can to find a good solution for you guys not to be apart. But," She said when they perked up with hopeful eyes. " I will hold no promises. First, your father and I will have to talk."

~xXx~

After Katie and Percy got scolded by Calvin and Uncle Joe for making them worry so much, the adults sat down in a cafe and talked. They introduced themselves and exchanged their stories how the kids and all the following events. They laughed and sipped on their coffees for the first half an hour. But then they got to the matter at hand.

They knew that they can't separate them. Katie and Percy where very close and you could see that it wasn't one of those fleeting friendships that drift apart after a while. Still, their families, schools, and homes were on the opposite sides of the country. And honestly, there wasn't much the parents could do.

"They practically raised each other!" Joe argued. "Even if you take yo' kids away they'll probably run away again! Ya can't keep those two apart."

Sally sighed tiredly. "What do you suggest we do then? I'm sure Percy had a great time in Texas but I don't have the money to move and finding a job all over again isn't exactly a piece of cake too."

"Katie made her decision when she went after the boy. Maybe she should stay here?"

"No, she should be with her family," Sally reasoned. "You said you are running a family business on your farm. I don't want you to leave your home. Besides, Katie would have to go to new school and the entire surrounding would be a whole new world for her."

"Not necessarily..." Calvin suddenly spoke up. He was stroking his chin thoughtfully.

They knew that the kids were going to stick together no matter what it takes. So that's why they were all standing at Bonnie Gardner's doorstep.

Bonnie Gardner had divorced Joe McConnel and moved to New York starting a new life as a florist. She knew her flowers just as much as she knew the farm she grew up in. Although she was this old country flowers selling lady she was definitely not someone you'd wanna mess with. She was in her early fifties but she was muscular and in a great shape. Her arms were covered in western themed tattoos and her gray hair still had a bit of black in them. She lived alone in a single apartment in a big city but she knew very well how to handle herself.

Bonnie opened her door when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Howdy, sis!" Calvin greeted cheerfully yet somewhat nervously.

"Good afternoon, Bonnie," Joe said not even hiding his fear.

Right, when she saw the two faces she grew to hate the woman slammed the door shut.

"Well, that didn't work," Percy stated.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Let me try." Her dad and uncle stepped away from the door. Katie knocked. "Auntie Bonnie! It's Katie. And co."

After a moment the door opened again and the woman signaled for them to come in. When the kids and Sally entered, the entrance closed again not letting in the two men.

"We need them too," Katie told her aunt dryly.

Bonnie sighed and let her brother and ex-husband in. They nodded thankfully. She sighed and started inspecting her guests. There was her brother, her ex-husband, her niece, a woman and...

"Hey! It's that kid who bought my flowers a couple of days ago!" Was the first thing she said.

"Everywhere I go I seem to meet a Gardner," Percy sighed. Katie stuck out her tongue at him. He then turned to the florist. "I'm friends with your niece."

"I see," Auntie Bonnie nodded. "And that must be the mother." She shook hands with Sally who greeted her respectfully. "Such proper people. Too bad they got involved with these two bufoons." The woman pointed at Calvin and Joe. They valued their lives too much to be offended. When all her guests sat down in the living room she asked, "So, any reason ya'll do me the pleasure of inviting yourself into my home?"

Katie and Percy retold her all the event that happened over the summer. Not mentioning their criminal tendencies. Then Katie's father explained that she wished to stay in New York. He asked his sister if she could take care of Katie during her stay.

"Don't you wanna get back home?" Bonnie was surprised. "To your roots? Your whole life is in there!"

The girl's shoulders slumped. "The only thing that's waiting for me in Texas is that _witch_ Anderson."

"The one that pushed you into that swamp all those years ago?" Her aunt asked knowingly.

Katie nodded.

"Look," Percy spoke up. "we don't know how long Katie's going to stay here but it's very important for us. And we kind of hoped she could stay with you..."

The children gave the old lady their best desperate pleading puppy faces.

In the end, Bonnie gave in and let her niece stay with her. She was actually quite happy she could spend some quality time with her. Katie in return was hugged her tightly and thanked her repeatedly and enthusiastically. Percy (although didn't show it as much) was equally overjoyed.

"Visit as much as possible," Calvin told his daughter when they were saying their goodbyes. He kissed her on the forehead. "And don't you cause any trouble."

She and her partner in crime exchanged looks and said together. "We would _never."_

* * *

 **There's going to be a time skip in the next chapter!**

 **Next chapter: Dragged by a half goat to a camp full of unstable teenagers.**

 **Until my return.**


	9. My life is turned upside down again

_And suddenly you know... It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings._

* * *

A fleet of police cars and helicopters were surrounding the mansion. The people that were evacuated from the building and the passers-bys were watching the scene outside. It sure was an exciting day in New York. Although, not very unusual, to be honest.

There was a reporter talking to the camera, summarizing the current events.

"...two unknown criminals have broken into the mansion resided by the Dare family. It is said that both Mr. Dare's and Mrs. Dare's wedding rings have been stolen right from their fingers. The thieves are still inside. According to the witnesses, they appear to be just children! The police officers are currently evacuating the staff and other people inside the building..."

The cops were checking everybody's pockets before they could exit. People were nervous even though they knew that they couldn't possibly have the stolen items. It was mainly the staff and other businessmen that Mr. Dare was working with. But there were also two eleven-year-olds hiding in a fancy looking closet. It was the size of a small apartment. Except expensively decorated and full of designer clothing.

Making their way out of here without getting noticed would be more than challenging. They were outnumbered and outgunned.

"So what now?" Katie asked calmly unfazed by the current events. She was playing with the two golden rings in her hand.

Percy smirked. "Plan B. Blend in with the crowd."

They changed their black clothes to some more, casual less suspicious outfits they kept in their backpacks. Percy just took out his blue hoodie and zipped it up. Katie slipped in her green flannel on her black sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She chucked in her clothes and rings into her bag and they cautiously got out of the closet. Leaving their backpacks at the open window on the first floor they made their way to the main doors.

The police officers quickly checked them up and let them leave. They weren't going to question why there were kids inside. Mrs. Dare has already made a scene when they stopped her daughter who was accused of being one of the thieves. These kids could be one the girl's friends and they didn't want to anger Mrs. Dare even more. Besides, the police officers didn't even believe that thieves were even children.

Katie and Percy quietly and without being noticed went around the building and retrieved their backpacks. With that, they simply left the crime scene and headed home. The flashing of red and blue and the sound of the helicopters and crowd of people left behind. The stupid grins on their faces couldn't leave them. From pickpocketing random people on the street, they went to robbing the richest couple in Manhattan.

The kids were coming back from school when they were passing the mansion and already a plan started forming in their devilish little heads. Of course, they were going to give the stolen treasure back to the owners. Just like they always did lately. It was purely for fun. On contrary to popular belief they weren't corrupted by greed and had no interest in money.

The two gained quite a popularity in New York over the past three years. Known as "The Daring Duo". They were those eleven-year-olds that go out to steal from a high-security household after school. Media and newspapers were filled with their faces. Well, not exactly. They always have half of their face covered with a black clothe and a hood on so only their green piercing eyes were showing. Because revealing their identities was something that was just simply, not happening.

The green eyes became kind of their trademark. Whenever someone takes a picture of them, green eyes are the only thing that is visible for every other inch of their bodies is always covered.

"So, wanna come to my place?" Katie asked. Her western accent faded out during her stay in New York City. But there were still hints of it at times.

"Nah, I promised mom that I'll be home right after school. And well, we are already late..." The started cackling. The faces of their victims during today's heist was priceless and worth the steal. "Besides, Aunt Bonnie makes me memorize all the meanings of her flowers."

Katie snorted. "It's not that hard. I mean that's the kind of stuff you signed up for when you got involved with the Gardners." She flipped her hair as if she was some kind of movie star. To which Percy rolled his eyes.

With that, they said goodbyes for today and got back to their respective apartments.

The two have bonded very much since that fateful summer in Texas. They often went out at night just like they did back then. Usually, they would just go to the nearest playgrounds and cause chaos. It wasn't as much fun like at that abandoned amusement park but it was still pretty exciting. Playgrounds are a place you associate with kids and laughter. But at night it was a completely different place. You had a familiar feeling like when you walk through a graveyard. It sure was frightening to see two children dressed in black late at night with their laughter echoing in the streets. Some more superstitious passer-bys claimed to see ghosts after seeing the creepy figures at the playground. Understandably, Katie and Percy had a good laugh out of that one.

Their neighborhood was filled with graffiti drawings. Most of them were of the Daring Duo with all the black around them and the green eyes popping out. They would also go visit their school (which again was a completely different place at night) and leave some harmless pranks for the mean students and unexpecting teachers. They always had a specific target during those occasions.

Of course, Katie and Percy stumbled upon other people who also tend to go out at night. And most of them weren't very nice. Every time when the street thugs decided to mess with them the guys always end up with a black eye or a couple broken bones. While Katie preferred the quick and easy way (punching the crap out of them) Percy usually like to talk his way out of these situations. It was a great opportunity to practice both techniques.

But there were also more experienced people who knew their way around the streets and kids like them. The few times they got kidnapped and dumped into a van or something was probably the most challenging ones. But there wasn't yet a situation they couldn't get themselves out of.

Their time during the day wasn't any less eventful. Sometimes they would help out in her flower shop after school. Percy was always allowed to take a blue rose for his mother's birthday. The kids loved to hear all the stories behind her tattoos. It was like listening to adventures of a retired cowgirl. They got so close that after some time Percy started to call her Aunt Bonnie too. She was deeply flattered by that.

They also loved spending times with Percy's mom, Sally Jackson. She was literally the best mother ever. Impressively enough, she never yells at them. Which is very tempting most of the time. She will always hear them out when they get in trouble at schools and listen to them when they just want to talk. Her advices has never failed them yet.

"She's really not all that sweet. When I was younger she used to sing me to sleep "Sally's Song" from "Nightmare Before Christma" when I misbehaved," Percy once said which only made Katie laugh.

Her blue cookies were like nothing else in the world. Katie was proud to say that she has been officially included in the blue food thing. Turns out that the Jacksons use blue food coloring to prove a point to Percy's stepfather that their meals can indeed be blue. They impulse buy blue candies whenever they go grocery shopping. Which actually doesn't happen often. Seventy percent of the times they go grocery shopping would end up with their cart crashed into a wall or an aisle with the food sprawled out on the floor. Because of that Sally is always reluctant to take them with her.

Cooking with Sally was also very enjoyable. They would talk and joke. Katie especially liked listening to Percy's embarrassing stories. He would always grumble and glare at them. Everything was fine and dandy until the had use the stove or the oven. Then there was one hundred percent chance something was going to burn.

"Kids, I love you. Truly. From the bottom of my heart. But stay out of my kitchen," Sally sighed.

And that's how they got banned from the kitchen.

"We made you breakfast!" They exclaimed the next morning to make it up to her for almost setting her apartment up in flames.

"Sorry It's just cereal but it's the only thing we can't burn," Percy said.

"At least it's high-quality cereal!" Katie defended.

Sally who just woken up was amused by their actions and touched. She forgave them easily.

School was sufferable. Of course, there were jerks in there that made their lives miserable and teachers that were out to get them but there's nothing they can't handle. A thing that was not in any way bearable was waiting for Percy at home. Namely, Gabe Ugolino. His stepdad. Thankfully he doesn't remember Katie from that day when she saved Percy when he was being beaten. But that doesn't make him any less of a jerk. That's why Sally and Percy were always thankful when Bonnie let them stay sometimes.

All in all their lives were currently pretty great. With a few daily annoyances.

Until it wasn't.

Winter break started tomorrow and Katie was sitting in the science class bored out of her mind. Percy decided to be sick that day. Why did he have to get a cold specifically _that day,_ she would wonder.

The students had a small flowerpot filled with dirt with a seed buried in it on their desks. The teacher went on and on how to take care of it. As if Aunt Bonnie hasn't explained that to her a billion times already.

She was digging her fingers into the contents of the pot. Two of her fingers found the seed.

Honestly, Katie wished it would just grow so she would get a good grade and it would be all over. Suprise of the lifetime: the seed grew and out of the dirt popped up the flower. At first, she felt the seed tremble under her fingers and then move and expand. Then next thing she knew she was staring dumbfounded at the plant that would take weeks to grow already in full shape.

Her mouth was agape. She looked around if anyone noticed. No one seemed to be bothered by the sudden growth of her plant. Well, maybe except the teacher who was looking at the scene intrigued. Nonetheless, he didn't stop the lesson.

The bell rang and everyone started to scramble out. Katie took her stuff including the flowerpot and went up to the teacher not really sure what to do. But before she could even say anything, he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the class to a secluded area. His name was Ferdinand Underwood. For some reason he always used crutches. Except he wasn't using them now. He was holding them in one hand standing on his own two feet.

"Katie, listen to me. I need to take you somewhere," Mr. Underwood said urgently.

"Huh?" She was more than confused.

"Go and wait for me outside the school's entrance. It's recces anyway."

"Wait, what?" She called out when he walked away. Using his crutches this time.

She felt like she shouldn't listen to Mr. Underwood's commands but out of curiosity, she followed his instructions.

When Ferdinand Underwood showed up he didn't have any pants on. Which would sound weird if he had any legs. There were two hairy goat legs instead. Katie stared at them with wide unbelieving eyes.

"Good, you can see me," He noted. "That means the Mist isn't affecting you. Alright, I got my supplies. Let's go now. We have to hurry before a monster will sense your scent."

He grabbed her hand again rushed to the nearest bus stop.

"Wait a minute!" Katie stopped him. "What- Where are you taking me?!"

He looked her in the eyes seriously. "To Camp Half-Blood."

* * *

 **So it finally happened! Katie is going to find out about her godly origins.**

 **Okay, so I gotta admit. Aunt Bonnie is called like that after one of the greatest thieves that ever walked on this planet - Bonnie and Clyde!**

 **Next chapter: Getting claimed.**

 **Until my return, fellow demigods!**


	10. At Camp Half-Blood

_Camp Half-Blood, Keeping Young Heroes Safe from Harm (Mostly) For Over Three Millennia!_

* * *

So apparently Greek Gods that Katie saw in various cartoons and heard stories about from Uncle Joe existed. Not only that but she was supposed to be one of them? Or half of them? Or whatever Mr. Ferdinand Underwood said. Who happened to grow hairy hoves overnight. She always knew there was something wrong with the teachers in her school but Mr. I-Had-Goat-Legs-All-Along was beyond mad. He claimed he was... a _satyr_ , was it? He also called her a Demigod. Sure, Katie knew she was a gift to humanity but a god?

Anyway, she and her satyr teacher were hastily heading to 'Camp, a safe place that was full of kids like her'. Why would she need a safe place? And by 'kids like her' did Mr. Underwood meant other confused children kidnapped by their science teachers? She recalled him saying it was named Camp Half-Blood.

"Camp- What now?!" Was how Katie reacted. But he didn't give her any further explanation. She believed that it was probably some kind of occult or something.

Her teacher summoned a taxi. Which would've been cool and fine if the drivers weren't _blind._ Well, technically they weren't. The three gray elderly ladies had one eye. That they shared. Yep.

Through the entire ride, Katie's heart was beating a mile a minute. Though she felt it skip a beat whenever the eye was flying across the car and one time it even landed on her laps. Ew.

She was hugging the ground as she shakily scrambled out of the taxi and collapsed upon the earth covered in snow. Mr. Underwood wasn't fazed by the wild ride which was accompanied by the background bickering of the old ladies.

"Thank gods there wasn't any disturbances along the way," Ferdinand said as he straightened his blazer. Okay, if he doesn't consider three crazy ladies that almost crashed them into a building or a tree countless of times on an icy road a disturbance than Katie didn't want to know what he does consider a disturbance.

The girl got to her feet and followed the satyr up the hill where grew a tall pine tree on the very top of it.

"Okay," Katie said irritated dusting off her clothes. "Whatever you want to show me, better make it quick. I don't wanna make my family worried and let them think I ran away again! So-"

She cut herself off. Looking at the Camp was like looking at Aunt Sally's books about ancient Greece. She recognized the characteristic architecture. The theater that looked a bit like a football stadium except it was made out of stone. A tall and circular building with the famous white columns around it. The arena. Similarly build stables with horses that seemed to have wings. But there were also a few things that were kind of out of place. Like the blue wooden house near the hill, she was standing on. The kayaks on the giant frozen lake. And the volleyball court. As far as Katie knew the greeks haven't played volleyball back then. Unlike the city with grey sky and covered in hard and dirty snow, the camp looked beautiful in winter.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" Mr. Underwood said when he noticed her staring. "Well, I'm sure they'll give you a tour guide and you'll take a closer look at the camp. But first, we have to go the Big House."

As they made their way to the house they passed some of the campers. Most of them were older than her but none of them seemed to be more than eighteen. All of them wore an orange T-shirt under their heavy coats. The shirts had CHB and a winged horse on it. The camp's logo, she assumed. She also noticed more guys with goat legs and humpbacked females with feathery wings instead of arms. And some of the girls near the forest and the river had green or blue skin.

Katie's eyes widened when they entered the Big House. A man was standing just by the door as if he was about to open them. Well, he was a man from waist up. The rest of him was a white stallion. Okay, what else is going to dump everything she ever believed in (or didn't believe in) into the trash?

They all sat down. The horseman introduced himself as Chiron. He was co-running this place with a god of wine who was here by punishment. Probably the weirdest thing she ever heard. And it really was saying something considering she was friends with Percy Freaking Jackson. They explained that Mr. D, the wine god had was at a family meeting of sorts. Chiron was like one of those wise old men that had the answer to every question. He certainly didn't look like an old man with long white beards but his eyes seemed to be eons old that held great knowledge. Ferdinand Underwood turned out to be some kind of undercover satyr whose task was to search for 'half-bloods' in schools. Most of the satyrs at the camp were requested to that. He soon had to leave for another mission. People started to mysteriously disappear somewhere in New Jersey and it was said that it had something to do with greek monsters. Some kind of Gnome Emporium? Katie wasn't sure.

And that's pretty much it. After their quick talk, she was sent to Chiron's office sat down on a couch in front of a TV set where she had to watch the orientation film. It was... downright ridiculous to say the least. Some muscular blond guy who spits out poems and songs was talking about the life at camp. Dancers in gold were flailing around rainbow ribbons and the chorus was singing in the background. All of it was so extravagant but at least it answered most of her questions. It certainly explained and excused her mother's mysterious disappearance. Apparently, gods couldn't interfere in the mortals' life. Hey, if she was a half-god then was it fair calling her a mortal?

But why didn't her mother bother visiting her daughter? She's a goddess! It's not like they will fire her if she disobeys the rules or anything. Didn't Katie mean anything to her? They said that the Demigods were lucky to even meet their godly parent once in their life. Still, she couldn't help but be a bit bitter about this whole thing. Why was her father keeping this a secret? Then again she didn't exactly tell him about her criminal life either...

Then there was this whole thing about being claimed. Whoever their godly parent was had to send a signal that this kid belonged to them. Katie honestly didn't know who was her mom. There wasn't anything about her that would indicate that.

The main task they will have to be doing at camp was training to later go on quests. That's why they were even born. To fulfill the gods' requests. The quests are basically the only time they would be allowed to go beyond the borders of the camp. The camp was protected by the magic shield coming from that pine tree she saw at the top of the hill. Protected from what? She didn't know exactly.

Katie exited the Big House a bit dazed and overwhelmed by the amount of information to take in. Outside, a girl was waiting for her. She was leaning on the wooden railing, her back was facing Katie. Her skin was bright green. She wasn't wearing a jacket or anything that would keep her warm but she didn't seem to mind. A simple chiton was hanging on her small and petite figure. A flower crown was placed on her amber hair. When the girl heard the door opening she turned around and smiled at her.

"Hi!" Her elvish face was beaming. "My name is Juniper and I will give you a tour through our camp."

And that was how she met the dryad. Juniper was a wispy and a rather quiet girl but she was a great company. They were walking leisurely, talking lightly passing satyrs and campers. They stopped at the Art and Crafts. Inside she could see a guy with concentrated grey eyes. He was running the paintbrush all over the big canvas. His hands and clothes were dirty with fresh paint but he didn't seem to even notice, too focused on his work. The entire place had dried paint splattered all over the pillars and floor. It reminded Katie of the time she and her partner in crime had a paint fight at that abandoned amusement park. She noted to later visit the Arts and Crafts place.

"This is Malcolm," Juniper told her. "Son of Athena goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, useful arts, and battle strategy. He's a true virtuoso when it comes to painting. Besides the ancient Greek history, he knows the entire history of art by heart. I'm sure he would make his mother proud. Come on. Malcolm doesn't like it when he's interrupted."

They moved on but not without taking a last glance at Malcolm's impressive paintings. Juniper was explaining everything Katie didn't quite get from that orientation video. So everything.

"Oh! Right. That video... Lord Apollo sure does like to be the center of attention." She glanced at the sun. "Or the center of anything on that matter. I mean no disrespect of course."

Juniper told her that it's usually sunny and warm in Camp Half-Blood. It never rains or snows when they do not wish it. They only let winter take over for a short time of the year. But not to worry. It's always this soft kind of snow that you can make snowballs and snowmen with. It's also convenient because it seems like most of the monsters hibernate for winter.

The whole idea of Camp Half-Blood is to protect their heroes from the said monsters. They learn to fight and defend themselves here to be ready when they stumble upon a greek monster out there in the real world. They have monsters at camp too but they are purely for training. Some of them though like the harpies were there to help out at camp. Chiron or some of the more experienced campers will, of course, come to your aid if something would get out of the hand.

Then they got to the climbing wall and amphitheater. Katie thought that the climbing wall (with what she later found out was lava) was a bit more than intimidating. Netherless, she was excited about this one. Back in Texas she and Percy used to do quite a lot of climbing. It was essential when running away from the crime scene.

During the tour, Katie only spotted maybe 20 or so campers. She voiced her musings.

"You should see the camp at summers. It's full of demigods by that time. When it's offseason only year-rounders are present."

"Year-rounders?" Katie repeated.

"Yeah," Juniper smiled sadly. "These are the ones that chose not to come back to their mortal homes or sometimes doesn't have any other home than this camp." She looked up and pointed at the next stop. "Here are two examples of that. Annabeth Chase daughter of Athena and Clarisse la Rou daughter of Ares. Both gods are associated with war so these two are perfect sparring buddies!"

The two girls didn't exactly look like buddies. From their moves, she could see that they weren't afraid to hurt each other. Katie and Juniper walked up closer to see the fight. One of them was a slim blond girl seemingly around Katie's age. She looked determined and confident despite her opponent being twice her size. The other one was an older bulky girl with a bandana tied around her forehead and warpaint on her face. They were training hand-to-hand combat with no weapons and leather armor on. Katie assumed that the taller girl was going to win seeing she had the advantage in strength. But to her surprise, after a few kicks, punches, flips and shoves the blond won by making her opponent lose balance and knocking her down to pin her forearm to the other's neck.

"Wow," Katie couldn't help but say.

After exchanging hateful comments with the other girl and promising each other revenge the fierce blond wiped away the sweat and headed for the water bottles that were standing next to Katie and Juniper.

"Annabeth!" The green girl greeted. "We were just talking about you and the other year-rounders."

She looked at Katie. "What? Are you also staying at the camp full time?"

"Um... I, uh," She didn't think about it yet. This place seemed great so far but she had other places to be. Besides, her family and Percy are probably already worried. She should have been back by now.

"Well, you have the entire Christmas holidays as mortals call it, to make up your mind," Annabeth informed. "You'll have to inform either Chiron or Mr. D if you decide to stay. Or the harpies will eat you." She said it so nonchalantly Katie wasn't sure if she heard her right.

"We'll be passing the armory. I thought you'd want to leave your armor there. Wanna join us?" Juniper asked Annabeth.

"Sure."

With that, they continued their tour with Juniper telling her about the camp's activities. Annabeth was also telling her about the stories behind a few places at camp. The girl was obviously very clever. More than most adults Katie knew. When Annabeth was talking she could hear a sense of pride in her tone as if she built all those buildings. There was also a certain fondness when she was talking about some of the campers. Like that tall guy with a scar on his face, they saw from afar. She was interesting to talk to but there just was this proudness and the need to be perfect at all times that made her off-putting. But Katie could very clearly see that making Annabeth Chase her enemy would be probably the dumbest thing one can do.

After dropping her off at the armory they headed for they impressively large strawberry fields. The smell was _divine_. Katie had no idea how did they managed to grow crops in winter but they are definitly doing a great job. Camp Half-Blood sells strawberries to have money to pay for the camp's needs. Juniper said that it was actually a Demeter kid that discovered strawberries.

They approached two identical boys with blond hair that were standing on the field with hands held up towards the fruits. When Katie looked closer she noticed that the boys were making the plants grow. Okay, if she had any doubts about this whole demigod thing it was all gone now.

"This is Castor and Pollux," Juniper told her. "sons of Dionysus or Mr. D as you campers like to call him."

The boys looked up from their work. Katie had never seen such deep violet eyes. They weren't as athletic as most of the campers she saw but definitely more good looking than regular mortal kids.

"Hi," one of them greeted. Katie wasn't sure which one. "You here to help out with the strawberries?"

Juniper shook her head. "Not now guys. I'm giving a tour."

He shrugged and turned to Katie.

"Um, I don't really know much about this stuff."

He looked at her confused. Then he suddenly realized. "Oh, you're new! Sorry, you just really reminded me of the Demeter kids. Thought you might be one of them."

His brother snorted. "Dumbass."

"Shut up," The other one hissed back.

Katie couldn't help but laugh at them as they started half-heartedly throwing rotten strawberries at each other. Juniper said that Demeter's and Dionysus' children take care of the strawberry fields. With a help from satyrs and nymphs.

"Hey, here's a welcome to the camp gift." The second brother handed her a small bag of strawberries which she accepted gratefully.

They moved on to the forest where stood the Zeus' Fist as Juniper introduced it. It was really just a giant pile of rocks. But the top of it kind of resembled clenched fingers forming a fist.

"And this my tree!" The dryad cheerfully pointed at the tall juniper tree. "Hence my name. It's kind of what you would call a home." She looked at the tree fondly. She went to sit down on one of the giant rocks at the foot of the Zeus' Fist patting the place beside her for Katie to sit.

Now that they were all done with the formalities concerning the tour they could be just two teenage girls just hanging out and getting to know each other. They were talking and giggling while eating the strawberries. After some time more dryads and forest nymphs invited themselves to the small party. Katie never pictured herself surrounded by girls that could turn into a tree but she couldn't say she was complaining. The only downside was that some of the naiads were trying to flirt with her... But all in all, she had a great time at camp and after some time she may get used to all this weirdness.

There was just this one thing she didn't notice.

While she was hanging out with the nature spirits the temperature was progressively becoming warmer. It was later that she found out that this drastic change of weather was coming from her.

* * *

 **Poor Ferdinand Underwood. It's the last time we're gonna see him in this story. If you haven't caught on he went to New Jersy to Aunt Em's Gnome Emporium. And I think we all know what kind of monster is residing this specific garden full of human-sized stone statues...**

 **IMPORTANT : If you haven't read "From Percy Jackson: Camp Half-Blood Confidential: Your real guide to the Demigod Training Camp" GO BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW! It's an official companion book by Rick Riordan.**

 **In response to an _awful_ camp orientation video created by the god Apollo, Percy Jackson and other residents of Camp Half-Blood answer the inevitable questions about our precious camp to the newbies and future campers by writing this book. They talk about all the places, activities a lot of magic related stuff and many more. There were also a few interviews with the mortal parents (Sally Jackson and Fredrick Chase) and with a few of the main characters. In the short book, you'll find ****Percy, our adorkable and overly sarcastic hero, Solangelo (YASSS!), Annabeth being an architect geek, all of our favorite side characters, Chiron's past and of course Apollo...**

 **Also, both old and the newer characters appear in the book. The book's full of funny content. It actually answered a few of my questions so you'll know more about the camp. It made me homesick for the PJO series. It was so nice to see what our favorite demigods are currently up to. It's short and you'll probably finish it in a few hours but IT'S WORTH IT!**

 **Next Chapter: Meeting the Camp's local pranksters!**

 **Until my return, fellow demigods.**


	11. Getting claimed

_Just enough madness to make her interesting._

* * *

At the sound of the conch horn, Juniper got up abruptly and ran towards the sound dragging Katie with her.

"What's happening?" Katie asked startled.

"Chiron sounded the conch horn. Usually, it would mean time for a meal but seeing that dinner should be in two hours it's probably an emergency or announcement," Juniper explained still running. When she noticed campers and Chiron gather at the campfire she knew she was right. That's usually where they have their meetings.

As they ran Katie suddenly felt hot. Not from the running. She has escaped the police with Percy more than enough times to get used to excessive exercise. The temperature felt different. She looked around and saw the snow melt completely and in a matter of seconds. Well, Juniper wasn't lying when she said that they controlled the weather around here. But if it was their doing then why was everyone so confused. They were all taking off their coats and sweaters and looked at the vanishing snow with weirded out eyes.

"Everybody, settle down," Chiron said and the kids quieted down. He was telling the demigods not to worry and that they will figure everything out but he was interrupted by a sudden glow.

All eyes were focused on Katie. Well, more precisely on something over her head. She noticed something glowing something above her. Looking up she saw a gold sickle with a few sheaths of wheat appear hovering above her form. Her eyes widened.

"All hail Katie Penelope Gardner, daughter of Demeter the Greek Goddess of Agriculture, the grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons!" Chiron announced and everybody bowed. Chiron, the campers, nature spirits and other mythological Greek entities. She saw Juniper smiling at her brightly and the Dionysus twins exchanging knowing looks before bowing too.

 _What the heck,_ was the only thing Katie had in mind as she looked at the scene.

~xXx~

Katie has used her powers and switched the seasons from winter to spring. She didn't even know when or how did that happen. She remembered that she was just sitting at the Zeus' Fist and hanging out with the nymphs. When she first got here she felt confused and overwhelmed but with Juniper's help, she was getting more accustomed to her surroundings. The dryad and her friends made Katie feel a lot more welcome and with her emotions taking a sudden turn so did the weather. It changed accordingly to her emotions.

Right, when she realized she was the cause of this occurrence Katie immediately started apologizing but Chiron calmed her down saying they were about to let Lord Apollo melt the snow away in a few days anyway. The campers weren't exactly furious with her either. Just surprised. They haven't seen such powerful child of Demeter in a long time. It's not every day a newbie unfreezes the entire camp like that.

After she got claimed, her siblings (the fact that she has siblings was weirding her out so much) welcomed her to the Demeter cabin with open arms. There was very little of them. Mainly because it was offseason and most of them are currently in their mortal homes. The Demeter kids were very peaceful and passive kind of people. And after running wild with the most self-destructive person on the planet (aka Percy) the calm and soft atmosphere that dominated the cabin was almost unbearable for Katie. She didn't have anything against her brothers and sisters. She actually had a lot of things in common with most of them. She rather enjoyed her conversations about flowers with them.

It was just so boring most of the time. Katie has gotten used to her heart pumping erratically in her chest. And she grew to like this feeling of adrenaline. But among the kids of Demeter, it was just peace and quiet.

That's why she found herself in the arena quite often. Well, that was partly the reason. The other demigods had a rather negative opinion about Demeter's children. They almost never fought back when someone would start a fight with them and they hardly ever participated in the competitions or any physical activities. Katie was determined to show them that she wasn't some harmless little girl that can't stand up for herself. Especially after that incident with Clarisse, other Ares kids and Katie's head shoved down the toilet.

Katie was a fast learner and got the moves of hand to hand combat memorized in her muscles. It was a surprise for the other demigods. Children of Demeter aren't known to be that good at fighting. The new girl was certainly full of surprises.

A few days passed and she was able to beat most of her opponents that offered her a spar. One time she even happened to face Annabeth. Of course, Katie lost. No one has ever won against _Annabeth_. Especially not some new Demeter girl. But the daughter of Athena admired Katie's dedication and offered her to train with her.

"It doesn't matter how much stronger your opponent is," Annabeth has told her during training. "There will be a time when you'll have to fight against a cyclops or a giant. That's when you'll have to depend on your skills and wit instead of strength."

Katie took Annabeth's advice to heart. Following her teacher's instructions, she even beat some of the Ares and the Hephaestus kids.

She was quick on her feet and learned how to use her powers to her advantage during the fights. She was good with the regular fighting but when it came to weapons... she was a goner. None of them really suited her. The long-distance weapons like the bow or crossbow weren't her thing. They need precision and calm but whenever she was about to get into a fight this sort of rush of energy surges through her and she would get really impatient with the bow. Swords and daggers were out too. The sword was kind of awkward for her to handle. It just didn't sit right in her hands. And well, you needed way too much thinking and analyzing with the dagger. The only thing closest to home was a spear but it still didn't feel right.

Whenever Katie had enough of all the training and just wanted to kick back for a while she spent her time in the garden or the strawberry fields too. Behind Demeter's cabin was a lovely mini garden with all kinds of fruits and flowers. She and Juniper could sit there for hours. At the strawberry fields, she felt right at home. Castor and Pollux were always there to watch over the fruits and keep company the other campers visiting the fields.

Oh, but her most favorite place to visit at Camp Half-Blood was definitely the stables. Turns out she wasn't hallucinating. The horses really _had_ wings. They were pegasi!

Katie headed straight to her favorite horse's stall. His name was Scout and he was a beautiful gray pegasus with a bit of black on his long legs and feathers. She really liked him because he reminded her of Steadfast. The same bossy attitude, greedy when it comes to apples and races like there's no tomorrow. She bonded with him quite well during these past few days.

"Hi, Katie!" Silena said cheerfully. She was a child of Aphrodite and you can clearly see that. She was probably the prettiest girl Katie has ever seen. Although Silena wasn't exactly like her siblings which was a relief to be honest. Most of the Aphrodite kids were too... self-absorbed. Silena wasn't the type to sit on the sidelines. She knew how to kick butt while looking like a supermodel. "Up for a race?"

Silena was just finishing grooming her pegasus. She was a gorgeous palomino with braids in her white mane.

Kate grinned. "Always!"

They never saddle up their pegasi so they hopped on and lead their steeds out of the stables. They started galloping but soon they were soaring through the air. It would never get boring. The incredible feeling of actually _flying_ was like nothing she ever experienced. And that's saying something considering she was friends with Percy 'Let's Jump Into A Moving Train' Jackson.

The girls were laughing as they were making flips and twirls in the sky. Honestly, she had so much fun at Camp Half-Blood. Everything was perfect and well... _divine_.

Until she met _those two_.

~xXx~

"If I'm gonna die, I will _seriously_ kill you guys!" Katie yelled. The statement didn't make much sense but the boys got the message.

Somehow Katie, Travis Stoll, and Connor Stoll ended up on landmine together. The brothers were putting the mines on one of the hills for some twisted, messed up prank and Katie happened to be nearby. Unfortunately, the Stoll Brothers forgot where exactly they buried the active mines. The three of them were huddled together in one spot trying to think of a way out of this ridiculous situation. One false move and they are all finished.

"How- No, _Why_ do you even _have_ the access to these landmines?!" Katie demanded. The boys were cowering from her hard glare but they were standing on a field full of bombs so they couldn't really keep their distance from the fuming girl.

"Well," Connor started. He was standing behind his brother using him as a shield. "Our buddy Jake likes to tinker and he thought that making the mines would be a fun challenge and we kind of... borrowed them from him." He laughed nervously.

For a moment she just stared at him ridiculed but then scoffed, "Ugh, sons of Hermes."

"Hey! We don't have anything against _you,_ little miss turning winter into spring," Travis defended. "And we had so many planned pranks involving snow."

"Well, excuse me for ruining your plans on getting someone _else's_ life in danger!"

Travis was about to retort something but Connor was quicker, "Guys, can we just focus on the matter at hand? Because I don't know if you lovebirds noticed but we are in a middle of a war zone so..."

"Don't call us that," Katie growled before sighing. "And yes, I think I have an idea on how we'll get out of this."

She took out blue candies from her pocket. Carrying blue food with her was a habit she picked up on from the Jacksons.

"Katie, this is seriously not the time for snacks," Travis said but she ignored him.

Thanks to all those times she went out on heists with her partner in crime she learned to think outside the box. She also remembered the tips from Annabeth to use her wits. The Stolls said that they covered only the top of the hill with mines...

Her idea was risky and maybe stupid but they didn't have much choice. Katie threw one of the candies to the ground in front of them. Instantly the place on the ground exploded and a loud boom was heard throughout the camp. The explosion didn't reach them but it was close.

"Okay, come on!" Katie ran up to the place where it exploded.

Travis and Connor realized what she was doing. She was checking with her candies where are the landmines buried by making them explode. Genius!

It continued like that. Katie making their way by detonating the bombs and using the grounds clear of the mines to escape. After a few more thrown candies they made their way off the deadly hill. They collapsed on the grass relieved that the danger of being blown up is off their shoulders.

"Katie, you are a true goddess," Travis said between pants.

She punched him in the arm but she couldn't suppress the wide grin forming on her face.

~xXx~

After the landmine incident, Travis and Connor were thoroughly scolded by Chiron and yelled at by Jake and other Hephaestus kids. They had to do the dishes for two months. And if you think it isn't such a big deal, you try cleaning dishes with lava after a hoard of kids who have three meals a day for two months.

But it was worth it because if not for the failed prank they wouldn't have met Katie.

At first glance, she didn't look like much. An ordinary Demeter kid. Mainly peaceful and calm behavior. Dirty clothes from sitting in the garden fields most of the time. But whoever thought of her as ordinary or gods forbid pointed it out to her, only ended up tied up to a tree by her vines and left as a target practice for the Nymphs armed in tomatoes. She may seem like a regular camper but she is known to be quite vengeful. And for some reason, the Stoll brothers took it as a challenge.

Since that fateful day, they met at that hill the two sons of Hermes were kind of drawn to her. They wouldn't call it stalking but they were observing her from afar from time to time. And from what they've observed Travis could confirm that she was a pro at the arena. He watched her train for an hour. Not creepy at all. Katie also wasn't all that bad at canoeing. Even when she's wet she managed to look nice, Travis noted. But she was the most content at the strawberry fields. Travis also noticed that when she thought no one was looking she would have this serene expression on her face when tending to the plants.

"Oh, hey there, Katie! Didn't see you there," Travis smiled nervously.

He was following the girl in the forest but accidentally blew his cover making her notice him. And now he was trying to make it look like he wasn't stalking her (which he wasn't, shut up).

"Uh... Yeah, hi." Katie raised her eyebrow.

"So whatcha doing here?" He failed to seem nonchalant.

"Just going to the mess hall," She replied. We have lunch in a minute and you should go too. You and Connor have to do the dishes after all."

His face fell. "Right. We-"

He was interrupted by a loud hissing.

They looked to their left and saw a gigantic snake. It was green serpent with a pair of dragon-like wings. And it was heading towards them.

The monster spit at them with green saliva. They barely managed to dodge. The place where the spit landed on made a sound similar to water spilling on hot metal. It started to fume and reek.

"Oh, gods. It spits _poison_ ," Katie noticed.

"Uh, you don't happen to have any weapons with ya by any chance, huh?" Travis asked as they backed away keeping their eyes on the serpent.

She shook her head.

There was only one thing to do then. Run.

The snake crawled after them with incredible speed. What now?! They didn't want to take this creature to the camp but they desperately needed help. The tree nymphs were running away but if the venom reaches their trees they would die anyway. Katie grabbed Travis' wrist and lead them to an open space so it couldn't harm any of the nature spirits.

Then she saw it. The landmines! She has never been so grateful for a field covered in bombs. She ran that way with Travis following her. He looked back and saw that the serpent was about to spit at them. He pushed Katie and himself out of the way. The venom landed on the ground right next to them.

They got up as quickly as they could. Fortunately, they could clearly see the safe pathway with explosions marks. When they passed the field Katie stopped running and turned around.

"What are you doing?!" She heard Travis yell.

As soon as the serpent's body was placed on the field full of the landmines the ground exploded with a thunderous boom with the creature's hissing as is exploded. The monster turned into yellow powder and vaporized on the spot. The powder was falling down like rain, the dust from the round filled the air around them.

Katie and Travis could hear other campers running to see what was the commotion all about.

The two just stood there dumbfounded.

"Kids!" Chiron galloped to them. "Are you alright?"

They nodded their heads.

"What happened?" He wanted to know.

Katie noticed something shimmering on the mascaraed ground. She walked up to the place where once stood the giant serpent. There covered in yellow powder was a golden scythe. She picked it up. The girl could sense a powerful aura coming out of it.

"It can't be..." Chiron whispered. He walked closer. "That's the scythe that was used to slay the Uranus by the Lord of Time himself." He looked at Katie. "Your mother has claimed the scythe as her own after he too was overthrown."

* * *

 **Writing about all our favorite heroes is so nostalgic. Especially about Silena... And Castor... And** ** _Luke. Why did they have to die?!_** **Oh, well. it's not like I wasn't expecting sacrifices with all those wars they had to go through. Let your hearts be brave, demigods!**

 **One more thing. To those who don't know, the Stoll brothers are NOT twins. It's a common mistake I see in a lot of fanfiction. Travis is actually two years older than Connor. So, yeah.**

 **Next Chapter: Returning home.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, my greek heroes.**


	12. You ran away without me

_Souls tend to go back to those who feel like home._

* * *

Katie had become the head counselor of the Demeter cabin.

After defeating the serpent that Katie later found out was one of her mother's symbols of power, her siblings were impressed by her achievements and made her the head of their cabin. She was the best fighter out of all the Demeter kids, she also wasn't too shabby with the camp's activities, she would always give a helping hand to the younger campers and of course, there was the part when she was granted with a gift from Demeter herself. The former counselor gave up his position willingly to Katie who was flattered by the gesture.

"You may have caught your mother attention with all your accomplishments during your stay at camp," Chiron had explained while examining the scythe. "She must have sent the serpent to see if you are worthy of her scythe. It had been used to sever the soul of one's body. It is so powerful, an immortal would not be able to regenerate from its wounds, with both their body and spirit being scattered. I'm sure your mother wouldn't burden you with such responsibility. This one probably holds just a partial power of the original one. Netherless, you must be careful with it, Katie."

The scythe was pure gold with flower-like patterns. The crescent-shaped blade was made out of Celestial Bronze. The original one was a mix of tempered steel and Celestial Bronze so it could harm not only immortals but mortals too. What a horrible weapon. Katie loved it!

She heard all about the myths- Excuse me, _stories_ (because they were real) at the campfire. That blond guy with a scar on his face was talking about it to the newbies. His name was Luke and he was a son of Hermes which automatically made Katie keep her distance from him. But as she listened to him she saw that he was a pretty decent guy and nothing like his two brothers, Travis and Connor. He was telling them how Uranus was killed by his youngest son Kronos with this very scythe and how Kronos in return was killed by his youngest son Zeus with the same blade. Now, to some, it would appear to be gory and awful and most wouldn't want anything to do with the weapon. Not Katie. Of course, she founded disgusting how these ancient dudes went around and about killing each other but the fact that she was the owner of such a blade was kind of honorable.

The winter break was ending. And she had to say goodbye to Camp Half-Blood for now. It was a bittersweet experience.

Katie had grown attached to all those goofballs residing the camp. Juniper, Castor and Pollux, _all_ of her siblings, Annabeth, the nymphs, and she would never admit it but there was the tiniest part of her that would actually miss the Stoll brothers. The camp itself was a magical place and she would definitely come back next summer. Well, it's not like she has a choice. She needs to train to defend herself from the monsters roaming the earth. But in the end, she left the camp with a heavy heart.

On the other hand, she was excited to get back to Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Sally and well, _Percy_. It's been way too long since they caused some chaos together. Katie was also looking forward to eating Sally's trademark heavenly pancakes and working at her aunt's flower shop. Being surrounded by flowers was always comforting and it just felt so right. Now she knows why.

But there was something that made her stomach twist from nervousness.

Katie wasn't allowed to tell anyone about the godly world. If they knew about it there was a chance that some of the creatures of ancient Greece would not only come after her but also her loved ones. It is better if they stay ignorant of this whole ordeal. Her dad most likely knows. But what about the rest of her family? She can't just disappear for two weeks and not give them any answers. Chiron told her that the school informed her aunt that she was taken on some kind of special trip for these few weeks. But it was still a bit suspicious. She had no idea what she was going to tell them and how is she going to keep the secret.

Especially from Percy. They literally tell each other everything. The mere idea that she would keep something from him was for her simply unacceptable. It just didn't sit right with her. It didn't feel right at all. And Katie had lied and kept away the truth thousands of times from people and it didn't bother her once. But now? Now she felt like she was about to kick a tiny puppy that doesn't even understand why was this happening to him.

The train stopped and it was her time to face her family. Yes, she considers the Jacksons her family because they are the most precious and loving people in the world. No one can convince her otherwise.

Taking her backpack Katie stepped out of the train. She could feel her anxiety rise up as she spotted familiar faces in the crowd of people. What if they are angry with her? Oh, gods, what if Aunt Bonnie will send her away back to Texas?!

All her worries melted away as she saw the gigantic hot pink sign with 'DIMPLES' written all over it. And guess who was holding the sign. Yep, that asshole wearing that shit eating grin.

Katie sighed irritated but couldn't help the fond and relieved smile forming on her face.

"Katie!" Aunt Sally exclaimed with a bright smile of her own. "Welcome home."

"Thanks, Aunt Sally," She replied. Sally's heart always fluttered when Katie called her 'aunt'. It meant that she wasn't just her friend's mom but also part of the family.

Aunt Bonnie went up to hug her niece. "Hey, where'd ya been, girl?"

Katie laughed as she hugged her back. "Oh, you know. Hanging out with terrorists doing illegal stuff."

"Well, I understand why they gave you back," She ruffled her hair.

Katie walked up to Percy. She looked at him blankly and then at the poster and back at him.

He snickered. "You ran away without me."

"No," She disagreed. "I ran away _from you_." They laughed. Oh, she missed this so much. Just bickering pointlessly. "Now throw away this thing. People are staring."

"What? Got anything against pink?" He challenged.

"What? No. I was talking about you."

"Ha, ha."

"Alright, enough of this," Aunt Bonnie interrupted. "Let's get you, little escapee, back home. Ya've got a lot to explain, young lady."

~xXx~

Turns out she didn't have to explain or lie _too_ much. The mist did most of the job.

So, apparently, she has been on a mandatory summer school kind of field trip because her grades were slipping. Aunt Bonnie said that she recalled reading an email sent by the school that Katie will have to go on this trip but the woman totally forgot about it.

Katie just had to tell them how was her time at that 'summer school' and what she has learned. She told them how she learned about the Greek 'Mythology', a bit about science (thanks to Juniper and her siblings who won't shut about their flowers) and the history of Arts and Crafts (Malcolm rambled about it all the time) and architecture (thanks to a certain blond who was very passionate about this subject).

 _Technically I wasn't lying about any of this stuff_ , she tried to find an excuse for herself.

The others weren't making a big deal out of it (thankfully). Percy was listening half-heartedly while washing the dishes. Sally was asking a few questions now and then like 'Have you had fun?' or 'Did you behave?' like a momma bear she was. Bonnie was mainly muttering something under her breath about 'Those morons better not make her worry again by taking her niece off to somewhere'.

They sat at Bonnie's apartment talking about her time at Camp Half-blood. But the peacefulness was disturbed when Percy accidentally splashed Aunt Bonnie with the soapy water. But she took it as an indication of war. She splashed him back. Percy looked at her personally offended as if she killed his entire family. The war was merciless with no survivors left. Katie and Sally who were sitting in the living room somehow ended up soaking wet too. Laughter was heard throughout the entire apartment.

Katie truly felt at home. She met quite endearingly ridiculous people at camp but she had some goofballs at home too.

~xXx~

"What?!" Katie and Percy demanded at the same time.

"You can't be serious!" Katie wore a horrified expression.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Percy wanted to know.

Sally sighed. "Fith grade - fired a revolutionary war cannon at the school bus, fourth grade - endangering your classmate's lives by destroying the Marine World's _shark_ pool. Should I go on?" She raised an impressed eyebrow at them.

They were at the candy shop that Sally worked in talking about the kids' school situation.

Katie and Percy were only twelve but they already managed to get kicked out of five schools and this year they got expelled out of the sixth one. It wasn't their fault. It was just... a series of unfortunate events. But because of all the trouble they caused, they build up quite the negative reputation. Which resulted in schools becoming wary of the Daring Duo. Not that any of them knew that they were the Daring Duo, the rising thieves of New York!

The only way for them to get into a proper school is if they will go separately to two different ones. Yep, no school would accept _both_ of them in one classroom. Or one building for that matter.

Of course, Katie and Percy were completely against it but they couldn't really do much. They clearly made Sally disappointed. And making Sally Jackson disappointed was the biggest crime they could ever commit.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Percy asked his mother.

She looked at children sympathetically. She knew sticking together was important for them. Katie even crossed the country to prove that. "Maybe if you two behave yourselves in your new schools, one of them will take in the both of you next year."

" _Next year?_ " They repeated.

"Oh, you'll survive," Sally said dismissively. "Now I'm going to have to tell you to move because you're blocking the line."

A woman with a child just walked up to the counter with candies in hand waiting to pay.

Katie and Percy begrudgingly moved out of the way. Their shoulders slumped and faces fell. Well, it's a whole entire school year without spreading mischief together. They honestly didn't think they are going to survive.

~xXx~

Katie was attending to a superstrict, god _s_ forsaken school full of hardass teachers and retarded students.

The only person that she actually liked in this school (and the only teacher who didn't put her to sleep) was Professor Rick Riordan. He was this middle-aged guy with salt and pepper hair wearing a frayed tweed jacket. Looking at him people wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let his students play games in class.

But besides that, he was also a master troll who always has sassy replies to anything. Now that she thought about it Katie could easily imagine Percy being similar to Professor Riordan when he grows up.

Professor Riordan didn't treat them like little kids that couldn't tell apart left from right (like most teachers did). He always had some wise and encouraging words for his students if they'd needed it. He knew how to be funny and silly while being their mentor at the same time.

He was an English teacher and ironically enough he was currently teaching them Greek Mythology. But he managed to make all his lessons interesting. Last time he brought this awesome collection of Roman and Greek armor and weapons. They weren't exactly authentic, Katie noticed but they were close to home. She wouldn't have been surprised if the teacher knew about the gods being real or even him being a part of the ancient world. Her last science teacher turned out to be a goat so she was rather ready for the unexpected.

On today's lesson, he asked them to listen to a story idea that he came up with. His little son Hailey asked his dad to tell him a story every time before bed. Professor Riordan being himself, of course, told him about Greek myths. But eventually he ran out of them one night and he didn't have anything to tell his son. Hailey then requested for his dad to 'make one up'. So Professor Riordan basically told him about this kid in the modern world being sent on missions to defeat all kind of Greek monsters. And so was a new book born. His son insisted that he should write a whole book about it and publish it. The class after listening to the story also encouraged him to do that.

He eventually caved in but said that it is going to take a lot more time. He'll have to think of the story plot, the characters, foreshadowing, etc. but they knew he was going to write it. He was just cool like that.

The bell rang signalizing the end of the lesson. Everybody gathered their stuff and quickly scrambled out.

"Miss Gardner," Professor Riordan called out. She was just at the door when she turned around. "May I talk to you?"

Katie walked up to his desk. She wasn't particularly nervous. Detentions are a regular occurrence for her but she would never get one from this teacher. "Yes?"

"I heard the news. It's such a shame this school has to lose such a talented mind, Miss Gardner."

"Are we still talking about me?" He gave her a pointed look. She sighed. "It's not the first time I'm getting kicked out. For example, yesterday I got kicked out of Target."

"Katie. Let's be serious for once," Professor Riordan said patiently.

"It's cool." She shrugged. "There are still many schools in New York that don't know me yet."

He sighed. "Well, I wish I could do something for you."

Suddenly an idea came up to her mind. "Well, if you say so... There is one little thing you could do for me," Katie told him. He gave her a questioning look. "If you decide to write that book could you... maybe, name one of the characters after me?"

The teacher looked at her surprised. "That's an unusual request. Well, I wouldn't expect any less from one of my most unusual students, Katie Gardner."

She smiled and made her way to the exit. But before she walked out she turned her head and said, "Oh, and if you have trouble on deciding who is going to have my name just have in mind that _gardening_ is my passion."

~xXx~

Katie gladly left her school after the first semester was over and was even more glad that she didn't have to come back to that hellhole. Ninety percent of her time at that school was detention anyway. But she didn't have so many detentions as Percy had at Yancy Academy boarding school. They texted each other as often as possible but it still wasn't enough.

When Percy finally came back they talked for hours on the rooftop of one of the New York's apartment buildings. They complained to each other how much their time sucked. But Katie was proud to say that her name is soon going to appear in one of the bestselling books around the world. Percy though beat her by saying he gave one of his annoying classmates a swim in a fountain. They laughed and ate blue candy but Katie could see that something was on her friend's mind. Whatever it was she hoped it won't bother him for long.

Katie and Percy soon found out that not only they couldn't go to the same school together but also couldn't spend this summer together either. Because A) she had to go to Camp Half-Blood and B) he was going on a trip with his mom to Montauk (that lucky bastard).

She had a miserable realization that the two of them were in spite of themselves drifting apart due to their current circumstances. She sighed as she popped another blue jellybean into her mouth.

* * *

 **Every time I write a swear word I have to remind myself that it's a K rated story. But then I end up using a swear word anyway. You'll have to excuse my limited vocabulary :)**

 **Idk, I feel like they are gonna sue me for using Uncle Rick's name in my story. Eh, whatevs. (I used the same description about Rick Riordan that Percy used in Lightning Thief describing Mr. Brunner aka Chiron). (Also the story about Hailey is true).**

 **Fun Fact: Rick Riordan actually named Katie Gardner after one of his former students!**

 **Oh, and if anyone understood the 'series of unfortunate events' reference then I LOVE YOU.**

 **Next chapter: An unexpected reunion at Camp Half-Blood!**

 **Until my return, you little escapees.**


	13. Keeping our alter egos a secret

_In a world so exposed, the coolest thing you can do is maintain your mystery._

* * *

You know how people come to the Aphrodite kids for an advice on their love lives? People kind of come to Katie too. Not to seek advice about their love lives but about... something different.

'Revenge' is definitely one of the things that would come to mind when thinking about Katie Gardner. Now the Hermes, Athena and even the Ares kids could come up with some nasty ways to get even with someone. But Katie had her own special way.

See, she is more passive aggressive when it comes to this kind of stuff. Last time when two certain sons of Hermes thought it would be funny to cover the whole grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies which melted leaving a giant brown stain, Katie made sure the entire Hermes cabin would be haunted by an unidentified most disgusting smell wherever they went that resembled rotten vegetables and wilted dead flowers. When she was confronted by them and Chiron she easily played innocent. And since they couldn't find the source of the odor they couldn't blame her for the oh-so-vicious crime. She had a quite good laugh out of that one.

Because of Katie's vengeful nature, other demigods started to come to her and ask for guidance about the beautiful art that is vengeance. She was currently listening to a boy complaining about this Aphrodite guy who won't stop chasing after him and just can't take a hint.

"Say no more," An idea already started forming in her head. "I know exactly what you should do. Seeing he's an Aphrodite kid and obviously won't take a no for an answer we'll do it in a language I'm sure he'll understand." Katie lead them to the mini garden behind the Demeter cabin and picked up some flowers. "Let's see... Geraniums for stupidity, foxglove which means insincerity, meadowsweets mean uselessness, yellow carnations for disappointment and orange lilies for hatred. Here you go! A bouquet full of loathing!"

He blinked. "So basically I'm saying 'Fuck you' in flower," The boy summed up looking at her amazed.

"Pretty much. Yeah." Katie shrugged.

The boy took the bouquet gratefully and shook Katie's hand frantically. "Thank you! You're a true goddess, Katie!"

And then he ran off to give the flowers to his unwanted admirer. Katie shook her head amused at the retreating form of the boy whom she might have saved a lot of love-related trouble.

"Another appointment?" She heard a familiar voice ask.

"Yep." Katie turned to Juniper. She had dried mud on her chiton and her bright green eyes looked tired.

"Jun, what happened?" Katie asked worriedly.

"Oh, It's just," Her friend started dismissively. "another demigod arrived in Camp yesterday and he fainted. It was raining, mud was everywhere and I was one of the ones that helped carry him to the infirmary and watch over him."

"Oh. Is he okay?"

"Well, he _was_ attacked by the Minotaur but I think he'll pull through. He fought bravely. He even received a trophy after the fight. It was the Minotaur's horn."

"Woah, hold up. That newbie actually _beat_ the Minotaur. Isn't that monster supposed to be, like big and strong?" Katie was impressed by the new guy's actions.

"Well, yes. That demigod must be very powerful to even survive the attack."

"Huh." She had to admit. Katie was intrigued.

"No," Juniper suddenly said. "Okay, I know that look, Katie. Whatever you are thinking, stop it. For all our sakes!"

"Hm." Was the only reply she got. Katie as if not hearing Juniper at all started heading to the infirmary. Behind she could hear the dryad groan.

The infirmary which was in the Apollo cabin was mostly empty. Through the window, she saw Annabeth holding ambrosia in a pudding form. On the bed next to her was... Yep, there it is. Katie knew that only one person could defeat the Minotaur without any beforehand training.

On one of the medical beds laid a passed out Perseus 'Freaking' Jackson. Honestly, Katie didn't even know why she was surprised.

"Snooping around the infirmary, huh?" She whipped her head. Two all too familiar faces stood there looking smug. "And I thought you'd be better than that."

"What? Wanna sneak a peak on the new guy?" Connor joined in on his brother's teasing.

"No." Katie tried to remain unphased. "It's just natural human curiosity."

She started walking away from the Apollo cabin attempting to seem nonchalant as if one of the biggest parts of her life hasn't been just turned upside down. The Stoll brothers followed her talking on about their new pranks coming up but her mind was too occupied with something else to really pay attention to the boys. They didn't notice when she left them, too focused on planning their next big prank.

This would change everything. She didn't have to keep any secrets from Percy anymore. A sort of relief and joy fell upon her.

But then worry made its way into her mind. Their lives will certainly be easier with both of them being in on the secret about the godly world. But there was just this one other secret that is on the way to complete Hakuna Matata. Their criminal pasts. Well, not exactly past because they still tend to steal a few priceless properties of the local museum but that's just a tiny little detail. Katie wasn't looking forward to telling the camp about her's and Percy's... tendencies. But did they really need to know? They won't be harming anyone if they just keep that little detail to themselves. Maybe she was just overthinking it too much.

Katie went to sit down at the fireplace that was right in the middle of all the twelve Divine Cabins. She recalled someone calling the fireplace Hestia's Hearth one time. Campers, satyrs and the nature spirits liked to sit here even in the daytime. Katie knew it wasn't a regular campfire. She could sense great magic coming out of this place. The fire was emanating a warm and pleasant feeling. It felt like coming back home after a long journey.

Looking into the fire she noticed... a girl. Sitting right in the middle of the flaming fireplace. She didn't seem bothered by the flames though. When she saw Katie looking at her with wide eyes she smiled at her warmly.

"Hello, Katie." She couldn't be older than eight years old. Her auburn hair went quite nicely with her simple brown dress.

Katie couldn't help but gap at the little girl that was literally on fire. "Uh, hi."

"Wow, It been a while since one of you has noticed me," She giggled.

"Wait. Who are you? How'd you know my name? And how...?" Katie gestured at her with a quizzical expression.

"My name is Hestia. Not much have heard about me but I know all my demigods. I'm the goddess of the hearth, home, and family." Her voice was soft and so satisfying to listen to.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, my lady." Katie bowed awkwardly.

Hestia chuckled. "There's no need for that. Tell me, is there something on your mind?" When she looked at her questioningly Hestia explained, "I sensed your troubled state when you came up to the Hearth."

"Um, no, no. Nothing at all..." Katie didn't really feel comfortable talking about her deepest secrets to a stranger.

The goddess frowned at her. "Well, whatever you are going to do, make sure you will be happy with the results."

Katie didn't know it back then but it was her second time she was given an advice from a goddess. One time from a goddess of friendship, now from a goddess of family.

The demigod got up. But before Katie left she said, "I- Uh, thank you."

Hestia smiled at her sincerely. "Whenever you would want to talk, I'll be here."

~xXx~

She saw him when Chiron was leading him to the cabins so Annabeth could give him a tour.

Katie tried to make eye contact from afar without seeming suspicious. Thankfully Percy felt her gaze on him and turned his head. When he noticed her he looked visibly surprised but managed to stay cool and didn't catch anyone's attention. They had this conversation with facial expressions and mild hand gestures. It was almost unnoticeable unless you'd look closely. Katie pointed to the woods with her head. He raised his eyebrow. She sighed and pointed to him and herself and then back at the forest giving him a pointed look. He caught on this time and nodded slightly. Somehow they managed to come to an understanding. They are going to meet in a secluded place for them to talk.

After lunch, Katie saw him waiting deep in the woods. She stayed hidden among the bushes and sneaked up on him. When she was a meter away from him she jumped at him making him yelp and fall over. Katie laughed as they slightly rolled down the small hill they were on. They stopped moving and she ended up laying half on top of him.

"Geez, Dimples what the hell?" Percy groaned as they sat up and he dusted off his clothes.

"Hades."

"Huh?"

"It's 'what the _hades_ ' around here so," She elaborated.

He rolled his eyes. "Right. About that... So this is this mysterious summer school?"

"Yep." She brushed off the leafs out of her hair.

"Greek gods?"

"Uh-huh."

"Camp full of... half-gods?"

"Right."

" _I_ am a half god?"

"Don't go and get all conceited."

"Shut up."

They stared at each other blankly and then laughed. Katie got up and offered Percy a hand. He took it and she hoisted him up with ease. The fact that he was only skin and bones without a muscle in his noodle-like body, helped a lot. They started walking aimlessly through the forest.

"You know, it's weird how we follow each other around. Like literally," Katie suddenly said breaking the silence.

She was expecting a smartass reply like per usual but instead, he said softly, " _Y_ _ou_ were the one who promised me that it's going to be no matter where and no matter what."

He felt her punch him in the arm. Hard. But she couldn't help but smile at that. Gods, when did they become so sappy?

"Ow," He said just for the sake of saying that.

Katie snickered at his mock hurt expression. After a bit more walking in silence, she spoke up and voiced her worries that bothered her since she found out he was in Camp, "So we're saying goodbye to sneaking out at night and going on heists, huh?"

He didn't reply immediately. "We don't have to. I mean, do they really need to know who we are?" Funny, these were her exact thoughts earlier today.

"Our faces are all over the police station and the New York City," She reasoned.

Silence fell upon them once again. But this time it was a silence that was allowing them to think. They didn't want anyone to know about their criminal backgrounds. But the truth was bound to come to light eventually.

"How about we don't know each other?" Percy suggested.

"Huh?" Katie asked confused.

"Okay, hear me out. New York knows us as the Daring Duo (lame, I know) but they don't know anything else. Our names, our homes, our lives, nothing. And they only have a few blurry pictures of us. And no one in Camp will make a connection that we are the thieves if we don't even know each other," Percy clarified.

"You know, this actually isn't such a bad idea..." Katie's eyes brightened. "You're genius! And you won't hear that a lot in your life, so be thankful."

They high-fived feeling overjoyed.

"You know what we'll need for that?" Percy looked at her knowingly.

"A super secret headquarters!" The girl exclaimed.

"Aren't we a bit too old for that though?"

She looked him in the eyes with all seriousness she could muster. "One can never be too old for a treehouse."

They needed their own place where they could be themselves. To hang out with each other for at least a little while. And creating a treehouse was the best (and sentimental) solution for that. They found the perfect place where campers don't usually go to. Somewhere to the left from Juniper's tree. They picked a well-hidden tree and Katie used all her chlorokinesis powers to make a sold and a nice looking little cabin on top of it.

~xXx~

Percy got claimed as the son of Poseidon, god of the Sea, Earthquakes, Horses, Hurricanes, Destruction, Droughts, Floods and Storms.

Sounds about right. Ever since they were little, Percy has always been drawn to water. In Texas, he could spend hours at the lake. Whenever it was raining he would always get out of the house to goof around in the pouring weather (dragging Katie along). And it explained why all the horses in Mr. Gardner's stable were so fond of Percy. And when it came to destruction he might as well be the god of that.

Although Katie was surprised her friend didn't turn out to be a son of Hermes. He was pretty much a master of stealing by now and he loved to travel (preferably from New York to Texas).

Oh, well. Now at least he could be with the Camp's local golden boy. Katie was pretty sure Percy had a crush on Luke. But then again, who _didn't_ have a crush on Luke? When the son of Hermes was around him he would always suddenly become so quiet and blushy, dare she say _shy_. Who would've thought her danger-loving and a trouble-seeking best friend could be so cute and timid? She never let down an opportunity to tease him about it.

Katie was currently in the arena training with her scythe. She called it Soulripper. The name was inspired by the abilities of the original Scythe that was used to rip the soul apart from a body.

She became really attached to Soulripper. No other weapon fit her just like this one. Wielding it was surprisingly easy as if it was made specifically just for her. The girl was cutting through dummies with her blade as they were made out of paper. Celestial Bronze was powerful in itself but her scythe held magic similar to the one that slayed the giant and the titan.

"Show off!" Someone yelled as she slashed through the rocks cutting them in half.

Katie sighed and turned to the one that has spoken. "Oh, go drown some oceans, Percy."

He rolled his eyes as he walked up to her.

"Came here for a spar?" She asked twirling her scythe.

"Nah, just came to tell you that your favorite person in the world just got himself a quest."

"What? Tom Hiddleston is here? Where?" She mocked excitement.

He gave her a look.

"Okay, what did you do to get sent on a mission?" She was all ears.

Percy told her about the prophecy he was given from the corpses of the oracle in the attic, the stolen Lightning Bolt, and the accusations that he was the thief.

"Well, _did_ you steal that thing?" Katie wanted to know.

He looked at her ridiculed. "Why does everyone think that? _No,_ I did not. I mean when even would I have the chance? I was with you the entire time!"

"Except the time you were at Yancy Academy..." Katie reminded. Percy looked at her that clearly said 'Really?'. "Hey, they don't have the right to accuse of stealing anything but _I_ do. Because I actually know you." She booped his nose.

"Whatever. Look, I have to go pack my stuff so," He said as he made a move to go away but she grabbed his shoulder. She wished she could go with him but they didn't want to blow their cover.

"Listen," Katie looked him in the eye forest green meeting sea green. "if you don't come back I will have to be the one that comforts your mother. So no stupid stunts, okay? Not without me."

Percy smirked. "Ya got it."

With a one last fist bump, they said goodbye.

~xXx~

That idiot got himself poisoned.

After Percy, Annabeth and Grover got back from the quest thankfully safe and unharmed, he just goes and somehow gets poisoned by a Pit Scorpion. How did that thing even got into Camp Half-Blood?

Katie and the nymphs were carrying him to the infirmary. He was already unconscious and her worry was rising with every second. As quickly as they could the Apollo kids started hastily treating him and healing him with their powers.

"How did that happen?" Chiron asked urgently. Annabeth at his side looking as worried as Katie.

"I don't know. We just found him in the forest bitten by that scorpion," Katie quickly summarized.

She prayed to every deity up there that Percy would get out of it alive.

After a couple of agonizingly slow hours, Annabeth informed the others waiting outside the infirmary that he woke up. Katie waited until all of Percy's friends finish their visit so she could see him alone. Maybe she was precautious but she didn't care. Besides she wanted to talk to him without having to worry that the others will find out their little secret.

She left the shadows at the back of the infirmary and entered the cabin. It was a bit of a Deja vu seeing him on the medical bed again.

"About time you showed up." Percy was sitting up and leaning his head on his hand looking bored.

Katie snorted. She walked up to him and sat down next to him on the bed. "So, it was Luke."

"Yeah..." Sadness etched her friend's features. But he quickly covered it with his usual snarky personality. "Talk about the betrayal of the century."

"Though it's a shame. You two would've looked cute together," The daughter of Demeter teased.

He groaned. "Why am I friends with you?"

"You know, I saw you making gooey eyes at Annabeth too. Didn't know you had a thing for blonds."

"Shut up!" He threw a pillow at the laughing girl.

Katie laid down beside Percy and they continued to have their pointless conversations laughing, joking, insulting and hitting each other.

* * *

 **YAY! HESTIA APPEARED! The kindest, the sweetest and my personal favorite goddess ever. Hestia is also basically the only divine diety that didn't really fucked up Percy's life. Just saying.**

 **Okay, I feel like an idiot by saying that but to those who might not remember, 'Hakuna Matata' means no worries, carefree life and well, you get it XD**

 **And if you haven't noticed I'm a fan of Tom Hiddleston. *melts by just thinking about him***

 **Next chapter: Time skip to the events after the Lightning Thief.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, fellow half-bloods.**


	14. Demigods on the run

_Let's go somewhere where the stars kiss the ocean._

* * *

Katie and Percy had a blast hanging out together at Camp Half-Blood. Of course, they couldn't spend time with each other too much as to not raise any suspicions. But there were times they were bound to bump into one another. And it just so happened that it was at the stables most of the time. Riding pegasi just brought back so many memories from their time in Texas. But _racing_ on pegasi while _flying_ was definitely one of their favorite things in the world now.

The two demigods also found an excuse to see each other by teaching the newbies and younger demigods together. Katie would give them tips on the practicals stuff and all about Camp's activities and traditions. Percy would take over the physical stuff like choosing the right weapon, canoeing, and overall training. The campers that heard of both their accomplishments looked at them amazed and with wonder in their wide eyes. Some of the newbies would even request them to tell them how was it like to hold the Master Bolt and save the entire Camp or receive the Scythe after defeating the oh-so-big-and-scary snake. Percy and Katie lived for those moments.

Of course, not everything was all flowers and rainbows. Percy's rivalry with Clarisse continued. That's why Annabeth had to keep a watch over him to restrain him from starting another earthshattering (sometimes literally) fight. But Katie believed that Percy and Annabeth were also secretly looking for excuses to hang out. But she had problems of her own to have time to tease her friend about it. Travis and Connor have been extra annoying lately and Katie's patience was running thin. She was naturally a kind and understanding person but those two airheaded jerks just kept getting under her skin like nothing else.

"Okay, so how did that happen?" Will asked one time when Katie was in the infirmary.

"I, uh," A blush crept up to her face. "…punched a wall." The skin on her knuckles was all but ripped open. The Stolls have just made her a victim of their today's prank. She wasn't thrilled. So much that out of rage she hit the next solid surface and harmed herself in the process. Thankfully she was able to think fast and get some bandages out of her backpack to wrap her hand to stop the bleeding

"You lost so much blood because you punched a wall," Will stated more than asked. The son of Apollo sighed when all he got was a shrug. "Though I gotta admit, you did quite a good job treating your hand. The bandages aren't messy or too tight. I didn't have to do much. A bit of ambrosia will soon heal you. But why did you even have bandages with you?"

"It's not my first time patching myself up," was the only thing she had said. Will assumed that perhaps Katie has been treated badly at home and she had to learn to treat her wounds. She wouldn't have been the first case. There are many demigods who didn't have the most supportive parents. But Katie didn't really seem bothered by anything. She talked about her injury as if talking about a daily annoyance. Like, swatting a fly away. Besides she wasn't a year-rounder so she may have a nice home life.

True, Katie had to learn to treat her wounds. But not because she has been harmed by anyone. Her night outs with her partner in crime usually ended in a few cuts and bruises so carrying the first aid kit with them at all times was mandatory. Besides, it came in handy when Percy had an exceptionally rough time with his stepfather...

Summer was ending. And Katie experienced a miserable deja vu. Just like that summer when she had to say goodbye to Percy when he was leaving Texas this summer she had to say goodbye to Camp Half-Blood. Next time when they could come back to Camp Half-Blood seemed so far away.

They came back home together but first thing Percy did was go to his apartment to see his mother as soon as possible. She didn't blame him. He had to see her taken away to Hades and then go on a life-endangering quest to save her. Katie had to get back to her Aunt too so they agreed to see each other later.

Soon after, Percy Iris messaged her giving her the best new in the world. Sally Jackson has finally gotten rid of Gabe that walrus of a man, out of their lives. Oh, but she didn't just kick him out. No, she has turned him into _stone_ using Medusa's severed head. So practically you could say that Percy's mom has killed someone. Aunt Sally has never been cooler.

Hearing the news they decided to celebrate at Aunt Bonnie's.

"Oh, sweetie, I didn't wanna say anything but that poor excuse of a man has never deserved you," Bonnie told Sally as they ate in the living room.

"I know that now." Oh, Sally has always known that. She was putting up with Gabe all this time for her son. She knew that his terrible stench would cover the characteristic demigod scent of her son that would attract monsters. But now that everything was out in the open and Percy could very well handle himself during a monster attack they could finally say goodbye to the other monster living under their roof. Sally looked up at her son and his best friend throwing popcorn at each other. "It seems like our lives are getting better."

"Cheers to that, sister." Bonnie raised her cup of tea. After living with Gabe Ugolino, the last thing Sally wanted to do was to drink alcohol. So they celebrated with blue tea.

She laughed and bumped her cup with Bonnies and took a sip.

~xXx~

"You know the missing of the mother and the son is all over the news and social media," Sally started to say as she was on the laptop. "And all about the nationwide manhunt for two boys and a girl." A picture of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover appeared on the screen. "Apparently one of the boys fought a bus driver for control of the bus and... basically caused the mile-long pile up to get away from his captor... who then exploded the bus," She looked at the description under the picture. "Not only that but the kids were also the cause of the explosion of the... _Gateway Arch?_ 'The kids finally got away from the psycho captor after having a shotgun-to-rifle gun battle in Los Angeles which ended in a huge explosion that destroyed five police cars'," Percy's mom read out loud.

"Uh... wonders of the Mist?" Her son offered with a sheepish smile. Katie snickered.

She raised her eyebrow looking at him skeptically.

"You know what else I found out while browsing the internet?" Sally turned the laptop for the kids to see a blurry picture of two kids - a boy and a girl with black hair wearing black clothes. Katie abruptly stopped laughing. "It says that two unidentified thieves broke into the Dare's household and stole the married couple's wedding rings. Don't those kids seem familiar?"

Katie and Percy exchanged anxious looks.

"Come on, mom. You can't seriously think that's us," Percy laughed nervously.

Sally closed the laptop and looked at her son unimpressed. "Perseus Jackson, I am your mother and I know very well what you are capable of. And don't think for a second that I will believe in whatever excuse you two are going to give me."

Well, they are screwed. Unlike all those other times, now Percy and Katie were _actually in trouble_. Especially because Percy's mom has full named him.

During all those planning and taking precautions they didn't take one little yet very important detail into consideration. Sally Jackson.

They should've known she would find out sooner or later. But deep down they had hoped it would've been later.

"Okay, we did it," Percy admitted. "But we gave it back! Just like everything we stole. We are just doing it for fun."

His mom sighed. "I know you guys wouldn't do anything out of bad intentions. But it's wrong. You _know_ that. I taught you better than that."

Katie suddenly had the horrible realization. "Wait! Does that mean-"

"Yes. No stealing. I forbid you." And with her final words, they knew it was goodbye to their criminal lives altogether. Because if Sally decides on something there is no power in this world that could go against her.

Percy and Katie looked at each other with defeat.

Sally walked up to them and hugged her kids from either of their sides. "Now, cheer up. With the godly world thrust into your lives, I don't think you are gonna get bored anytime soon."

~xXx~

They found a school where both Katie and Percy were allowed to go. And it was the only somewhat entertaining thing that happened to them lately.

Life outside of Camp Half-Blood and not being able to go on their sacred night outs was simply... stupid. And repetitive, monotonous, uneventful, unexciting, and a third word for boring. It was just so _normal_ in the worst possible way.

The two were just coming back from school. And even though they weren't gonna do anything they still had their backpacks full of the usual equipment they take on heists. And that included: spray paints, picklocks, gloves to not leave fingerprints, small bolt cutters to cut through chains, and the first aid kit. Katie also liked to carry pink band-aids for Percy. He looked hilarious all covered in pink stickers and a scowl on his face. He reminded her of the Grumpy Cat then. Although she sometimes gave him blue band-aids when he deserved it. Katie also had her red yo-yo at all times for the time when boredom would hit her. Which happened a lot lately. Percy of course never separated from his precious hoodie. They have gotta get him a new one. The current one has holes and smells suspicious.

As they were walking on the sidewalk they heard a familiar sound of the police sirens. The cars on the streets where getting out of the way and the sound was getting louder with every second.

"Did you do something?" They asked each other. But none of them did. So as curiosity commanded them they stood there and watched.

The strangest thing happened.

Out of the corner behind them appeared Travis and Connor Stoll running as if their lives depended on it. There weren't any monsters around so they assumed that the boys were running away from the police cars.

Katie just kept having deja vus. The scene reminded her of the time she met Percy and how he was running away from the cops. Except the Stoll brothers didn't have any skateboards. Going on foot won't help them much. The cops would catch up to them soon.

Katie and Percy exchanged looks and instantly they knew they were thinking the same thing. The two didn't have anything to do anyway so they might as well help out their fellow thieves.

They waved at Travis and Connor to notice them. They did and started running towards them. Katie and Percy grabbed their hands and ran leading them to Katie's aunt's place. If there is one thing they were experts of it was escaping. And well, there were no horses for that so they have to settle on Aunt Bonnie's car.

"Get in!" Katie ordered.

It was a jeep with an open roof so all they had to do was jump in. Katie though had to open the door and take a seat behind the wheel. Now it may seem weird for a 13-year-old girl to be driving a car but her dad used to teach her to drive when she was eight back in Texas so she wasn't worried that she'll crash them into a building or something. Thank the gods that Aunt Bonnie left the keys in the car.

Katie hastily started the engine and drove them out of the parking lot slightly bumping into things but she didn't have time to care. Percy, Travis, and Connor were sitting at the back which was surprisingly really comfy. It was filled up with blankets and pillows with a mattress underneath. The boys ducked their heads not wanting to be noticed.

They could still hear the sirens but it seemed that they weren't being followed. Guess, they didn't expect the kids to run away by car. But Katie wanted to be safe than sorry so she kept driving until they passed the city. The buildings and skyscrapers were slowly being replaced by trees.

* * *

 **GUESS WHO IS GOING TO FIND OUT ABOUT KATIE'S AND PERCY'S CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS NEXT CHAPTER?!**

 **Next chapter: Roadtrip**

 **Until my return, you thieves.**


	15. Legends never die

_Getting to know someone is like investigating a crime scene where the culprit is constantly allowed to rearrange the evidence._

* * *

They were somewhere in the Upstate of New York.

The only thing they could see beside the road were the green, orange, red and yellow trees. It was a drastic change from the gray scenery of the city. The air was fresh. A characteristic pleasant scent of nature was accompanying the demigods during the ride.

When Katie was sure that they were a safe distance away from the city and they weren't being followed she parked the car near a cliff. The main road was not too far behind and the trees covered them perfectly from passer-bys.

Katie joined the boys at the back of the jeep and made Travis and Connor explain just what did they do to make three police cars come after them. Katie and Percy helped the brothers to escape the dull life behind bars so the least they could do was to tell them what they have done.

Apparently, they two have been helping Argus in delivering strawberries around the city. Camp Half-Blood sold their strawberries to be able to pay for water, electricity and other daily needs. They had a particularly annoying customer. He was an owner of a grocery shop but besides selling overprized candies to kids he also liked to complain a lot. It seemed like the man was yelling at them just for the sake of it saying that they were 'late'. Which was impossible because Argus was delivering the strawberries regularly without missing a day of work. The grocery shop owner had been honestly just making up complaints and whatnot just to release his anger on something after a bad day.

Now, Argus stayed calm and unresponsive as ever but Travis and Connor did not appreciate the man's attitude towards them.

When he left, the Stoll brothers took the opportunity to sneak into the small shop. They told Argus to go on ahead without them saying that they'll catch up to him later. They used a Celestial Bronze dagger to carve words on the doors of the shop. Then they used the strawberries to stain the carved out words with them. Considering the dark color of the doors the stains looked suspiciously like blood. Leaving a regular mortal knife also covered in the red liquid on the counter they left unnoticed.

The boys laughed hysterically when they heard a terrified scream coming from the grocery shop when the owner saw the markings on his door saying 'Greetings from the Delphi Strawberry Service'. It was the Camp's cover name, a reference to the Oracle of Delphi.

The man who was convinced an actual murder has been performed in his shop called the police. The Stoll brothers like any good criminals fled the scene. They kept running from the sound of sirens until they bumped into Katie and Percy.

"So... that's that," Travis and Connor finished the story awkwardly.

Katie and Percy blinked at them owlishly. After a moment of processing what they have been told they burst out laughing.

"Man, wish I was there!" Katie said between laughs.

"I know right," Percy agreed also not able to contain his laughter.

The Stoll brothers were genuinely surprised by that reaction.

"Okay, okay. We told you our story. Now, what about you?" Connor suddenly asked.

"Yeah, how do you guys even know each other?" Travis looked at Katie and Percy confused. "I mean, yeah, you know each other from the Camp but you two never really... interacted? And now we see you guys just hanging out together all casual. Besides, I thought you lived in Texas, Katie."

Katie and Percy exchanged worried looks. They had one of those wordless conversations using only facial expressions to communicate.

In the end, Percy shrugged. "I guess, we might as well tell them."

Katie didn't seem as nonchalant about it as her friend. But seeing how much the two boys have already seen today there wasn't really a point keeping it a secret so Katie caved in.

"Okay," Katie said reluctantly. "But if you tell anyone I'm dragging your asses back to Tartarus, from where you came from."

That statement made the boys all the more curious.

"Ever heard of... The Daring Duo, perhaps?" Percy started.

Katie and Percy told Travis and Connor all about their true identities. How they met a few years back in Texas and all the ruckus they caused in Katie's hometown. About their reputation growing in New York and becoming the Daring Duo after stealing the wedding rings from the Dare family. And how they got into Camp Half-Blood.

Travis' and Connor's eyes were growing wider and wider as Katie and Percy were talking about their awesome adventures. Sure the sons of Hermes have scored a few heist too before joining Camp Half-Blood but they would've never even guessed that the-save-the-world Percy Freaking Jackson _and_ Miss innocent and unassuming daughter of the most boring goddess _Katie Gardner_ could be capable of these crimes they have listed. The boys even thought that they had to step up their game now that they found out there was competition. There were literally blogs, theories and entire websites dedicated to The Daring Duo.

"Whoa, whoah, whoah. Hold up," Travis said as he turned to Katie. "So you're saying that all this time I have been pranking the girl who was bull riding, jumping into trains, deliberately destroyed and damaged public property by _spraypainting_ , going on _heists_ while being _eight_ , stole from the richest people in New York _and..._ knows how to drive?"

"Most of these things were thanks to Percy but yeah, pretty much," Katie replied unmoved.

Travis looked at her starstruck. It's like all his dream he didn't know he had, just came true.

"Where have you been my whole life?" His eyes sparkled as he kneeled before her and hold her hand as if she was something to be worshiped.

Katie jerked her hand away from his. "Right, now that we have this confession session over with-"

She didn't finish. A loud growling cut her off.

They all turned their heads to the forest. Among the trees, they noticed two large black mastiffs with red glowing eyes. Hellhounds.

The demigods reached for their weapons. Hellhound could easily outrun so escaping was out of the question. They would have to trust their skills to survive.

The dogs growled baring its teeth, their muscles tense and ready to attack.

Percy already uncapped his pen turning it into a sword.

Cautiously not to alarm the Hellhounds, Katie reached for her Scythe that was currently a pendant attached to the zipper of her backpack, her eyes never leaving the beasts.

Percy made a movement to hop out of the car but before he could do that the Hellhounds pounced with a terrifying bark and started running towards them.

Seemingly out of nowhere something as if a tennis ball was thrown towards the giant beasts. Immediately a yellowish green smoke exploded out of the object overwhelming everyone with the disgusting smell coming out of it.

Percy scrunched up his nose. "Is this... a stink bomb?" Being quite the troublemaker at school he was pretty familiar with the scent.

"Jake's creation! Comes in handy." Connor cheered. His voice sounded funny when he pinched his nose so he wouldn't inhale the sickening odor.

"Although, you'd already know that, huh Katie?" Travis said bitterly. He remembered the girl cursing the Hermes Cabin with an equally awful smell as a revenge for the chocolate bunnies incident.

"Yeah, except I've used flowers back then." Katie hid a smug smile.

"Uh, hate to interrupt the love fest, but the Hellhounds are coming right at us," Connor informed nonchalantly.

The Stoll brothers bought time by distracting the beasts' sensitive noses with the bomb but soon they managed to regain themselves and with more ferocity they charged for the demigods.

Percy, always ready to protect his friends, without hesitation jumped out of the car and met one of the mastiffs halfway. The dog bit down on him but just in time, the boy blocked the strong jaws with his sword.

As soon as he stepped his foot on the battlefield Katie followed. She wasn't going to let him be reckless without her. Due to their ADHD half-bloods work best in rush and in-the-moment situations. Letting your natural reflexes guide you. It helped demigods survive on countless occasions.

But then Katie froze. Besides her mother's serpent, she has never faced an actual monster. She has never been on a quest like Percy and she didn't have life experiences like him. A simple amateur is what one would call her. A certain doubt made its way into her usually brave heart. Suddenly, Annabeth's words echo in her memory.

"It doesn't matter how much stronger your opponent is. There will be a time when you'll have to fight against a cyclops or a giant. That's when you'll have to depend on your skills and wit instead of strength."

Katie wasn't strong, she had to be straight with herself. And honestly, the Demeter kids were never considered to be the best fighters. But that's exactly what drove her to push her limits by training so much. She wanted to break that ridiculous stereotype. But she didn't have to be physically strong to do that. She just needed to let her instincts take over.

With that, Katie decidedly put her Scythe that was still a pendant in her pocket. She may be an amateur but she a bloodthirsty amateur with a boundless determination.

The Hellhound was coming at her with incredible speed but it was as if time slow downed for her. She stood her ground even when the dog was getting closer and closer. Katie heard someone shout out her name to warn her but she knew very well what she was doing. In just the nick of time, she dived under and in between the hairy legs of the monster and rolled out letting the startled Hellhound trip and fall over.

Travis who was the one who called out to her watched the scene with surprised and amazed eyes.

But it was not over yet. Time that seemed to be in slow motion now got back to its regular fast pace.

Percy and Connor had the other Hellhound cornered and Katie was sure that they'll be finished with this one soon.

The beast has just stood up after Katie dodged its attack. Noticing that Travis took out another stink bomb and hit the dog with it straight in the head successfully distracting it.

Perfect. That gave Katie time to get out Soulripper and turn it back to its original size. She approached the beast and with one long and powerful slash, the Hellhound burst into golden dust.

The boys were also done with the other beast. The demigods covered in monster dust had bruises, scrapes and several injuries but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

The four of them collapsed onto the ground panting and wiping away the sweat.

"Katie Garder," Travis who was laying beside Katie turned his head to look at her with sincere eyes. "You are _amazing_."

She looked back at him startled by the unexpected statement. Then she smiled at him. It was a tiny slightly ironic smile but it meant the world to Travis. "I know."

~xXx~

The sun was setting and they were getting ready for bed.

The boys didn't trust Katie on driving them in the middle of the night thinking she'll crash them into something so they had a little sleepover. Katie was deeply insulted by the lack of trust from Percy, Travis, and Connor. Secretly the boys just didn't want her to drive whole night while they slept cozily buried in the heap of blankets. Aunt and Bonnie and the rest of Katie's mortal family loved to go camping. They used to go to sleep in the truck looking at the sky. Guess, Aunt Bonnie hasn't grown out of that habit.

The four of them laid down on the back of the jeep everyone having their own corner. Their feet were tangled up but other than that it was quite spacious, enough for them to keep their personal space. With the cold breeze and plenty of heavy blankets, the temperature was just right. The car was roofless so they had a perfect view of the sunset. And it definitely was something unforgettable.

The half-bloods couldn't have been more awed by this intense assortment of orange, yellow and pink colors all over the sky with the fiery sun already starting to hit the water. The ocean was mirroring the colors in the sky. The waves were softly hitting the bottom of the cliff and the slight breeze made the leafs behind them rustle quietly. They wondered if that's how Elysium felt like.

Katie, Percy, Travis, and Connor stayed quiet as they watched the sunset hoping that they will soon find themselves in Morpheus' realm. The sky was getting darker as the sun sunk into the ocean completely. Soon the stars and moon started to appear lightning up the world again in a bit more subtle way. In contrast to the sun which was practically unmissable, the moon had more of a mysterious vibe. Just shows you how much Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis were different from each other.

Despite the peacefulness, none of the hyperactive demigods felt like sleeping yet. When they realized they are not going to fall asleep anytime soon they started conversating lightly.

"See right there?" Percy pointed to the sky. "That's the Cassiopeia Constellation."

"All I see are tiny, shiny dots!" Connor was confused.

They were talking about the stars and what stories did they hold. Percy remembered Annabeth telling him about the ancient hero who was also his namesake. Perseus' and Andromeda's constellation was close to Andromeda's mother constellation - Queen Cassiopeia. She was as big and flashy in the sky just as much as she has been on Earth. From where the demigods were laying the Queen's constellation looked like a zigzag. On other parts of the world, it resembled a giant, a bit deformed 'W' or 'M' (depends from wich side you're looking). Near the constellation was a much smaller group of stars that was Perseus and Andromeda.

"So basically in order to find Perseus and Andromeda you have to spot Cassiopeia first," Connor summed up when Percy finished explaining. When he nodded Connor added, "Man, and I thought Aphrodite was the most attention-seeking goddess."

"Careful, she might hear you," Percy chuckled. "And Cassiopeia wasn't a goddess but from the way she behaved she might as well been ruling Olympus."

"Perseus and Andromeda," Katie repeated absentmindedly. "Sounds suspiciously like Percy and Annabeth."

Percy's eyes widened as if also just realizing that. He was thankful that it was dark enough to hide his blush. "Shut up," was the only thing he managed to say.

"You know it really _does_ sound similar," Travis teased. "And what does Chiron keep saying? That names have powers? And that would mean - I'm just saying - that it's _very_ likely you and Miss Know-It-All are going to hook up."

A pillow was thrown his way and smacked Travis right in the face. _Yeah, right. When pigs fly,_ Percy thought.

Katie and Connor laughed at Percy's embarrassment and Travis' mock hurt expression.

After exchanging a few more stories behind the stars, their little stargazing session was over and they all finally started to feel tired enough to go to sleep.

Travis turned his head to look at Katie who had just dozed off. Since the day they met he has always been drawn to her without knowing why. Her kind and peaceful nature was just something refreshing in a world full of danger, action and the unexpected.

Oh, but this girl? She was a perfect combination of both. After today's fight, he couldn't think of her anything else but straight out badasss! To be honest, he had almost gotten eaten by one of the Hellhounds because he was staring at the girl showing off her skills and the ninja-like movements. He always liked it about her that she can be nice and shy and playful. This whole new side of her made her all the more perfect.

The same seemingly innocent girl that wore flower crowns and healed flowers could also without hesitation jump into a battle and win it like a boss.

 _I guess there's always a wild side to an innocent face_ , Travis thought fondly before letting sleep take him over too.

~xXx~

"Roadkill!" Katie yelled as she hopped into the car and took her seat behind the wheel.

"Don't you mean road trip?" Travis asked as he climbed up to sit beside her.

"...Sure."

Travis wasn't convinced by that answer. He just hoped they won't be the cause of any 'accidents' today.

When they heard Percy and Connor climb up at the back, Katie started the car and drove away. Her dad had taught her horse riding and bull riding when she was five so he thought that he might as well teach her how to drive a car too. Luckily for Mr. Gardner, he didn't have a present wife who would chastise him for his reckless behavior.

They had to drop off the Stoll brothers at Camp Half-Blood before going back home. The boys weren't looking forward to seeing Argus again. He was probably angry and worried that they went and disappeared on him like that.

But before heading to Camp there was one last stop they had to take.

"Why'd we stop?" Connor asked when Katie parked the jeep in the New York City central. "The cops might still be after us. They'll find us here!"

"We have one little thing to do," Percy replied mysteriously as he hopped out of the car taking his backpack with him.

Katie followed suit and they both went into a first clothing shop they found. Percy quickly picked up the lock. It was still pretty early and most of the shops weren't open yet. Katie took care of the cameras with her Scythe. After making sure they are safe the two went straight to the changing rooms.

Connor gave his brother a questioning look. Travis only shrugged equally confused.

When Katie and Percy walked out they were in their full heist attire. All in black with the hoods on and cloths around their face so only the eyes were showing. The only thing that told them apart from any other thieves were their unique green eyes that could be spotted from a mile away.

"So," Percy said as the Stoll brothers watched them with wide eyes. "Let's start the show."

~xXx~

Travis and Connor were sitting in the car near the Empire State building. Katie and Percy had run off to somewhere not giving the boys any details on where they are they going. The brothers were told to 'wait and watch' whatever that meant. But before the duo disappeared Katie asked them a favor.

"You want us to _what_?!" Travis had asked.

"Call the cops," Katie had repeated impatiently. Her voice was slightly muffled due to the black scarf wrapped around her face. "And pretend like you don't know us. Just act like some random people that witnessed The Daring Duo on another heist and report it to the police."

Although the Stoll brothers had no idea what Katie and Percy were up to, they did as they asked.

Now they were impatiently waiting for their friends to... maybe blow something up, who knows? They were expecting for the two to come back with bags full of cash or at least some stolen hot-dogs. The four of them haven't eaten since yesterday and they are starving!

After what felt like forever, a sudden and loud explosion could be heard from the sky.

Travis and Connor, the police force that has just arrived and all the present people looked up to see bright green and blue fireworks explode from the top of Empire State Building.

On the roof stood two figures. But they were so high up they looked like two black dots.

"What the- Don't tell me that's-" Travis didn't want to finish the sentence too afraid it might be true. He was too shocked to even register what was happening or what is exactly is _going_ to happen.

"What are they doing?!" Connor cried out alarmed. He was in no doubt that these two were Katie and Percy.

By now they managed to draw everyone's attention. People were crowding on the sidewalks, heads were popping out of windows, cars stopped to watch the scene.

The figures disappeared from the edge of the tower and for a moment the Stoll brothers who were very concerned for their friends felt a surge of relief. But then the two came back full force _jumping_ off of the freaking _Empire State Building._ There was absolutely no way that Katie and Percy would survive. They didn't have powers that would make them fly or help them out in any way. Big bodies of water were nowhere to be seen and wines and plants were the last things you'd find in an overpopulated city.

The hearts of the two demigods that were watching their friends plunge into their deaths at first seemed to skip a beat but then it started to pump erratically. The brothers could only stand there helplessly with wide disbelieving eyes.

The Daring Duo were falling until their bodies hit the concrete ground. Blood was spilling. They weren't moving. There was a crack in the asphalt under the bodies. Gasps were heard here and there but besides that, it was dead silent. Someone called 911 but it was obvious the criminals weren't going to survive.

Travis and Connor looked horrified and stupefied at the lifeless forms of Katie Penelope Gardner and Percy Jackson.

* * *

 **Yay, cliffhanger! (said no one ever)**

 **Don't worry, I'm not that kind of author that kills their characters.**

 **Oh, and they are barely visible but Traitie moments are present in this chapter. If you squint hard enough you'll notice Travis slowly developing some strong emotions for the daughter of Demeter.**

 **Next chapter: Some new faces. (And you'll find out how did our heroes survived the fall from Empire State Building!)**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	16. Throwing sass like confetti

_We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason._

* * *

This had to be some kind of illusion. They can't be... gone.

How did that even happen? After the police force confirmed there was no one else on the roof beside the two criminals they claimed it a suicide. The news - cameras, and interviewers were all over the place talking about the event so casually having no respect in regards to the fallen thieves. Some people on the streets even had the audacity to take out their phones and record the scene and snap pictures. Travis and Connor wouldn't be surprised if the death of their dearest friends would be posted on Youtube and Facebook and some other social medias.

The brothers saw the bloody forms of their now deceased friends being taken away by the paramedics who threw the lifeless bodies into bags as if they were nothing else but dolls and drove away. After witnessing it with their own eyes the Stoll brothers were sure that Katie and Percy were now roaming the realm of Hades.

Travis and Connor thought they lost them forever.

" 'Kay, we can continue our way to Camp Half-Blood." They jumped when they heard someone chip in from behind them.

Not expecting the painfully familiar voice of a certain Camp hero they whipped their heads around. Their eyes widened and Connor alarmed grabbed his brother's arm instinctively - it was something he did since he was little when feeling scared or threatened.

There stood Katie and Percy in all their very-much-alive glory. They just popped out of nowhere safe and sound as if they haven't just plunged into their deaths.

"What?" Percy asked when the brothers continued to stare at them. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost," He then proceeded to crack up laughing at his pun.

Except it could be a possibility. Travis ever so slowly held out his finger to poke Katie's figure to make sure it was solid. But before he made contact with her arm she slapped his hand away.

"Ow! Okay, they are real," Travis confirmed nursing his hand.

"What- Wait, How? We saw-" Connor was too shocked to finish his sentences.

Percy took a hold of the brothers' shoulders and led them to the car. "Look, we don't really want to talk about it while we're out in the open. The cops probably revealed our faces and it would be kind of weird to see the guys that have just jumped out off of the tallest building in the world walking around so I suggest we get out of here."

The four of them situated themselves in the jeep and while driving Katie and her partner in crime describe how exactly they faked their deaths.

Apparently, they made a deal with Hermes himself. He made the incredibly accurate copies of the two and threw them off the Empire State Building. All the Daring Duo had to do was to make a show on top of the building with fireworks and everything. After that, they could simply change back into their civilian clothes and walk away.

The two convinced Hermes to take part in the spectacle by telling him that he would not only prank his own sons that were the kings of tricks and mischief but it would also be a worldwide prank that would be written down in history. Of course, Hermes couldn't decline such an offer. And the event indeed was something that would be talked about for years. The two most famous thieves of New York committed the most spectacular suicide.

"You're psychopaths," Travis stated after a moment just staring at the two dubiously.

"I prefer the term creative," Percy informed.

Katie snorted. "Hey, if we're gonna fake our deaths, might as well do it as dramatically as possible."

They soon found themselves at the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The Stoll brothers hopped off but before the four parted ways Percy said, "And remember, don't tell anyone about any of this."

The brothers looked at him confused.

"But why do you guys even keep it a secret?" Connor asked. "I mean, we would be pretty hyped if we were the ones known as the Greatest Thieves of New York." That's how people of New York liked to call the Daring Duo.

"Yeah?" Katie asked unconvinced. "Would you like for the entire Camp to know that you are worldwide criminals and make everyone be wary of you and create trust issues with everyone?"

Connor opened his mouth but then closed it thinking through what she said. "I guess, you _do_ have a point."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with us," Travis assured. "Under one condition."

Katie raised her eyebrow unexcitedly.

"You will have to take us for your next heist."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Guys, the whole point in faking our deaths was to quit being criminals."

"Hey, once a thief, always a thief," Travis and Connor said in unison.

Katie and Percy exchanged looks and shrugged.

"I guess we can do that," Katie said not sounding happy about it.

The Stoll brothers smirked. "You can now consider the Stoll brothers your allies." They said and bowed exaggeratedly.

With that, they said their goodbyes and both parties went back to their homes.

~xXx~

"Remember Plan B?" Percy asked his partner in crime.

"You're deaf and I don't speak English?" She suggested.

"What? No, not this one. We sad-puppy-face ourselves out of this."

This was probably the most challenging mission they would ever have. Facing their parents.

They had been gone for only two days but it was two of the most stressful days of Sally's and Bonnie's life. Katie and Percy had run away before but they were 8 back then and had almost no sense of responsibility. Now they were 14 and a bit less irresponsible but still very much reckless. Still, it didn't make the women any less concerned.

The demigods said their farewells and headed for their respective apartments.

As soon as Percy walked in, he instantly felt arms embracing him. Sally ran up and hugged the life out of her son. A bit startled he hugged her back just as tightly.

After what seemed like an eternity but also way too quickly, Sally pulled away and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Where have you been, Perseus Jackson?" She said firmly and a bit anxiously but she didn't raise her voice. She never did. "Do I have to give you the talk about running away and making a total stress ball of your mother again?"

"I am _really_ sorry," Percy said sincerely. He didn't want to make her worry ever again after last time. "But this time it really wasn't my fault. It's a long story..."

"Does it involve the death of the Daring Duo I saw on TV?"

Percy's eyes widened. He laughed nervously. "You, uh... you saw that?"

"Oh, yes. And you, young man, have a lot of explaining to do." His mother was looking at him seriously.

They sat down on the couch that was clean and didn't stink for the first time since they got rid of _him_. In fact, the whole apartment was nicer. It was tidy, organized, smelled like the famous Sally Jackson cookies and it held a warm, home-like atmosphere. There were no smashed cigarettes lying on the floor, no pieces of green glass splattered all over the apartment, and thank everything holy, no abusive, smelly, overweight walruses on the horizon.

As her son was talking about the incident with the Stolls, Sally was checking for injuries on his body. Her concern was growing more and more when finding even the smallest bruises. Sure, she was fretting over him but unlike most parents, she wasn't angry that her son disappeared like that (again), just relieved that her only son was safe and back in her arms.

Bonnie wasn't as delicate and as forgiving as Sally though. She thoroughly expressed how worried and angry Katie made her feel. She grounded her Niece before she could even get a word in. The girl didn't blame her, honestly. She understood how concerned her aunt must have been.

"Do you have any idea what I was going through?! First, they sent you off to some summer school I knew nothing about and now you skip school and run away on me like that. Explain yourself and it better be good."

What Katie told her aunt wasn't too far from the truth. Of course, she couldn't tell her anything about the Greek world or her alter ego. So she left out the monsters attack and the death faking. She told her about 'those two acquaintances' that took her and Percy on a road trip. The girl was rather worried that her aunt would question her about the disappearance of her jeep.

"What? The car? It's in the garage. What are you talking about?" Was Aunt Bonnie's response when Katie asked if she knew just where had been the car these past two days. The woman either wasn't using it and didn't think much of it or the Mist covered it. Katie wasn't going to question her luck.

In the end, the Aunt was glad that her Niece was okay and they hugged it out.

~xXx~

After the road trip with their newly acquired allies, Katie and Percy had to go back to school.

Meriweather College Prep was a progressive school where the students sit on beanbags instead of at desks, they don't get grades, and the teachers wear jeans and rock concert T-shirts to work.

Now it sounds not too bad, especially because the two could attend this school together but there are just a few things that they could definitely live without.

Students usually avoided Katie and Percy like the plague. Well, they were mainly avoiding Percy to be specific.

Katie honestly couldn't blame them. Her friend, after all, doesn't really seem like the kind of kid that would sell out lemonade on the streets.

It's not exactly that people are afraid of him it's just his natural brooding look, the black hair shadowing his eyes and his roughed up clothes make him a bit unapproachable. Even when he smiles it's crooked and it makes him seem like he's up to trouble (which he usually is). He rarely talks to other people besides Katie but when he does speak up it's usually very sarcastic and impertinent. He got detentions on multiple occasions because of that.

But it's not just his looks that made him seem like a potential serial killer. One time someone had googled Percy's name and the news about the whole incident about him and his friends being chased by Ares all over the US has spread like wildfire. But it not only made the others scared of him but also intrigued by him.

Percy Jackson was like one of those mysterious guys they watched movies and read books about. Sure most of the people were passive towards him but he did grab the attention of most of the female population of their school. Not that he noticed. He could be blind to people's feelings towards him but that's because his self-esteem is so low it's hard for him to realize that someone is actually attracted to him.

"Hey, Jackson!" Yelled out a voice they grew to despise.

Despite all the rumors and beliefs about the oh-so-scary Percy Jackson, there were people that saw him as a threat to their own reputation. Take Matt Sloan for example. He was a self-proclaimed bad boy ruling over this school. But honestly, he was simply a stuck-up bully that (unfortunately for everyone around him) was rich.

Matt was walking up to Katie and Percy during lunch. He had eyes like a pit bull, shaggy black hair, and he always dressed in expensive but sloppy clothes, like he didn't care about his family's money. One of his front teeth was chipped from when he ran into a "Please slow down for children" sign while driving his father's Porsche.

For the sake of being intimidating (and failing to do so) he slammed his hand on the table the two demigods were sitting at and spoke in a mocking voice, "Well, look who finally decided to show up. Miss flowers and rainbows and the kid who exploded half of America."

"What do you want, Sloan," Katie said annoyed.

"Hey, no need to get your panties in a twist," He held up his hands as if in surrender grinning down at her showing those crooked teeth. "Jus' here to welcome back my old pals."

"Yeah? Well, go and find them," Percy commented dismissively.

A flash of anger passed Matt's features but then a smirk replaced it. "Ah, Percy! Your buddy Mikey really missed you yesterday when you didn't come to save him."

Mikey was one of the younger kids that Matt liked to torment. Once Percy walked in on the bully going through the kid's backpack while his goons were holding the boy back. Naturally, Percy stepped in to intervene and let's just say that they didn't try to harm Mikey anymore. At least when Percy was around.

Percy's eyes darkened and when he spoke his voice was dangerously low. "What did you do."

"Oh, nothing, nothing. We just had some quality time. But he kinda had trouble talking 'cause you know, his mouth was full of toilet water."

Seriously the bully shoving the kid's head into the toilet concept is just too overrated and Matt just couldn't get more clichè. Netherless, it made Percy angry. He was, unfortunately, familiar with this kind of treatment. His face had almost hit the disgusting toilet water too after all on his first day at Camp.

"You know it's funny how you think that being a dick will make yours any bigger."

Sloan stopped laughing and scoffed, "Whatever." He rolled his eyes and it seemed like he was going to leave but Percy just had to add:

"Yeah, keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there!" Percy said encouragingly.

"Alright, that's it!" Matt turned around and charged at him.

Maybe Percy was a bit too harsh but honestly, he had more than enough with all the jerks in his life. Guys like Matt reminded him of his miserable time with his stepfather. He used to be that boy that not only was he bullied at school but was also abused by that monster living under his roof.

Katie could never grasp the idea that her very best friend had been abused. But she saw it with her own eyes and she couldn't really blame Percy to be kind of bitter about this. She had thought that abuse is just violence and living in fear from the abuser. But as she observed Percy she realized it's not it at all. He was never afraid of Gabe. He resented him with great passion but he never feared him. Countless of times he actually had to restrain himself not strangle the man.

Gabe had bullied him into funding his gambling, he used to dump beer bottles and cigarets all over the twelve-year-old's room, he used to demean and physically harm his mother, the asshole had _turned the entire nation against the boy_ and branded an innocent child as a fugitive just for money and media attention. Understandably, Percy's past experiences in his life made him just a bit bitter.

And he won't be having any of Matt Sloan's bullshit.

Unfortunately (and fortunately for Matt) a teacher stopped the fight before it could even begin. Seeing that Percy had been just sitting there calmly and Matt was the one going crazy he was the only one taken to principal's office.

"Must you always?" Katie sighed. It seemed like her friend would never miss an opportunity to get on someone's nerves.

"What? He's basically the reason gods created the middle finger."

She snorted. "May his life be as pleasant as he is." They bumped their juice boxes as if they would with wine and laughed.

The school saw him as this weirdly attractive troublemaking skater boy with a loud mouth and a permanent scowl on his face. And when Katie first met Percy she thought the same. But as you get know him and get past his barriers you can see that he can be a total dork and the biggest sweetheart on the entire planet. Of course, Percy does not take shit from anyone and not taking him seriously can be fatal for some but he is also the guy that adores blue candies, loves and respects his mom, helps out at the flower shop, and once you earn his trust he will be loyal to a fault.

Sure some of the aspects the others thought of him were true but there was way more to Perseus Jackson than any would've thought. Katie was proud to say that she was one of the few people he could be completely open with.

~xXx~

After an agonizingly long time being grounded, Katie, Percy, Sally, and Bonnie went out for ice-cream. They all decided to go on a semi-family outing. Summer was just around the corner and the days were getting hotter so ice-cream felt like the obvious choice.

Suddenly, as they walked along the sidewalk the group heard a crash in the nearby alley.

Being their curious selves, Katie and Percy went up to check what was the source of the commotion.

Bonnie sighed. "You kids, it's probably a stray cat-" She gasped as she followed the kids down the alley.

There was somebody stuck under cardboard boxes and garbage bags.

Alarmed all four of them started to dig out the crying person.

"Are you okay?" Sally asked urgently.

He nodded sniffling, wiping his tears and rubbing the sour places.

It was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes. Besides the scrapes and red marks, he received just now he also had some old scars on his body. He was probably six feet tall but he behaved as if he was seven years old.

"What were you even doing here?" Bonnie asked.

He looked up at her with large innocent eyes but didn't say anything feeling scared of the newcomers. But he was also hopeful that someone may finally help him. Others just pass him by as if not seeing him at all.

Percy stepped in. "Um, hi. What's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened when he saw Percy as if he recognized him and was looking at a superstar. "You look just like him!" When Percy only continued to stare at him confusedly the boy faltered and added with more shyly. "I'm Tyson."

"Well, Tyson," Sally started smiling at him warmly. "Maybe you'd like to come with us. I'll treat your wounds, you'll get something to eat. How about that?"

She offered him her hand. Tyson's face lit up at the mention of food and he reluctantly took Sally's hand.

This faithful encounter was just the beginning of the following unexpected events.

* * *

 **I think I'm gonna change the rating from K to T because of the occasional swear words.**

 **Next chapter:**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	17. Heart to heart conversations

_I never met a strong person with an easy past._

* * *

So guess who got himself a quest again. Yep, that asshole. And where exactly does he have to go? To the Bermuda Triangle, of course. Because where else? Well, the mysterious east coast's real name was actually the Sea of Monsters.

Oh, and Tyson turned out to be a Cyclops. Just when Katie thought it wouldn't get any weirder.

Percy was taken to Camp Half-Blood by Annabeth on the last day of the school when three Laistrygonian Giants attacked him and his class. Percy had gym class and Katie had English so there was no way she could'he witnessed that friendly dodgeball match. She soon joined him at Camp when the school was officially over.

But when she arrived things didn't look as divine as they usually are. Thalia's Tree has been poisoned which affected the entire Camp. The tree was protecting them from any potential danger but it also kept their home alive. Now both the pine tree and the Camp was dying.

Not to mention that Chiron was fired. Only because the guys up there suspected that he might be the one that poisoned Thalia's Tree. Which is downright ridiculous. All of his students are very dear to the old teacher and Chiron would never cause any harm to the Camp. It was a home and a safe haven for everyone residing the place.

They left Camp Half-Blood in the hands of the drunkard wine god and an ancient Greek dude that was summoned straight from the Fields of Punishment. Tantalus seemed to bring only more disaster to them than anything. For example, he brought back the chariot races. Which would've been cool if not almost every chariot getting destroyed, the demigods injured, and the audience attacked by the Stymphalian Birds. Katie and her sibling, unfortunately, were one of the victims of the random pigeon attack. Although Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson helped destroy the monsters, Tantalus accused them of disturbing the birds with their "terrible driving."

Clarisse instantly became Tantalus' favorite so the quest to bring the Golden Fleece was originally given to her. But Hermes had different plans.

In the middle of the night, Percy felt the need to walk by the beach to clear his head of all the recent events. He wakes up Katie and brings her along so he could have someone he could talk to without bothering anyone. Katie was a person he was okay to bother. He told her about his dream about Grover and that the satyr is in need of help. Grover has left to search for Pan last summer and no one got a news from him ever since. Which made Juniper especially worried. The satyr and the dryad were that kind of couple that gave each other lovey-dovey nicknames and made flowers around them grow (literally). Juniper and Katie had many girl-talks about it whenever some of the nymphs would sleep over at the Demeter cabin.

Katie advised Percy to just 'do what feels right'. The words Miss Philia had told her so many years ago had stuck in her head for some reason. And of course what felt right for Percy was sneaking out to go on the quest regardless what the current and hopefully temporary camp director had said. With Hermes help, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson headed to complete the mission.

Yes, well, while they went running straight into the face of danger (hello! Sea of Monsters - a place filled with demigod-eating creatures) Katie, her cabin, the Apollo cabin, nymphs, and satyrs were all trying to heal the Camp in their own ways. Yet it still didn't bring any permanent effects.

No matter how long they would be working their magic on Thalia's Tree it would bring no avail. The tree bark was all dried out and the drooping branches lost almost all the green needles.

Katie and the others had been taking turns on watching over and trying to heal the tree and after hours of using chlorokinesis, she and her siblings took a break for the Apollo kids to take over. Using their powers can be very exhausting so most of her siblings went back to the cabin to lay down and rest but Katie went to take a walk on the beach instead.

Subconsciously, she hoped that maybe Percy and his friends might come back the same way they left. Riding fish-horses hippocampi through the sea. But she mainly wanted to distract herself from all the latest depressive events.

Everyone seemed to be down lately but there was someone who was in an especially sour mood.

As Katie was walking by the shoreline she noticed a figure laying on the sand. Getting closer she realized that it was actually Travis. She was a little surprised to see the trouble causing, unpredictable ball of energy that is Travis Stoll just laying there alone as if waiting for death.

She is probably going to regret it later but she walked up to him and laid down beside him.

"So, whatcha doing?" Travis didn't look up when he heard someone laying down next to him assuming that it's just his brother. Only when he heard the sweetly familiar voice did he whip his head to the side to see none other than Katie Penelope Gardner. She chuckled slightly at how startled he was.

"Katie! Uh, hi! What are you doing here... ?" Travis mentally kicked himself for being so awkward.

"I asked first," She pointed out.

"Oh, right. Uh, you know, I'm just chillin'."

The girl frowned at him. "At this time of the day, you guys would've been chased by the angry victims of your pranks. Where's Connor anyway?"

"The Aphrodite cabin got him." He smiled but it wasn't like his usual mischievous smiles. This one seemed forced. "We kind of pissed them off and now they are probably giving him a makeover of a lifetime."

"And aren't you supposed to be a good brother and go and help him out?"

Travis looked her in the eyes. "Hey, when it comes to angry Aphrodite chicks it's every man for his own. I value my life too much to give myself up willingly."

Katie laughed and this time when Travis smiled it was less forced.

They just laid there for a moment looking up at the bright sky and listening to the waves hit the shore.

"Do you ever miss being a thief?" Travis suddenly asked.

Katie looked at him questioningly.

"You know... the thrill, the excitement, and the _goods_ ," He elaborated.

"Oh, you have no idea how much. I am tempted to sneak out at night every time to just... run free, you know? Being cooped up in four walls and sitting at the desks in school is just... it makes me restless. It feels like thousands of tiny ants are traveling my body. I guess that's how ADHD works, I don't know."

"Yeah, I feel ya," He nodded knowing exactly what she meant.

They talked exchanging stories about their lives as thieves. The crimes they have committed, things they have stolen, and the heists they have been on.

At some point, Travis' shirt rolled up slightly and revealed a bit of the well-defined muscles of his stomach. But for Katie, the more noticeable thing was the long deep scar just above his left hip. It seemed like a knife wound but she wasn't sure.

"Where did that come from?" Katie asked concerned as she traced the scar with her finger. Travis tried really hard not to shiver at her touch.

"It was a long time ago..." He didn't want to talk about it.

But Katie propped herself on her elbow and looked at him. "Tell me."

The son of Hermes was reluctant to say anything but the way those big green eyes kept staring at him sincerely was almost comforting so he caved in. "Me and Connor... We never knew our mother. She gave us up for adoption. We were at that foster home and well, they weren't the best people in the world..." Katie's eyes darkened as she realized what he was saying. Someone, a human, not even a monster had harmed Travis. And possibly Connor too. She was as mad as she was the day she saw Percy being beaten up by his stepfather. Travis didn't notice the girl's change of mood because he kept talking, absentmindedly as if he was reliving that part of his life. "The family had too many children of their own to take care of us. And that's when I got into stealing. To take care of Connor, because... no one else could. I guess that's when I decided that he is my responsibility and mine alone." It was clear how much Travis was protective of his younger brother.

Katie imagined little Travis and little Connor fending for themselves and looking after each other when no one offered them any help. Despite herself, she could feel a newfound respect for the two tricksters. The two had gone through experiences she wouldn't wish even to her enemies. And the fact that they could still laugh and joke around every day made it all the more impressive.

They continued talking lightly as they rested on the warm sand. Katie punching Travis in the arm when he made a stupid joke and him enjoying it every time. When Connor found them he didn't want to interrupt their blossoming relationship so he left them be. But not without taking a few pictures for future blackmail.

~xXx~

First returned Clarisse. And to everyone's joy and relief with the Golden Fleece. The Camp was back to it's blooming, warm and divine self.

But Katie didn't feel like celebrating yet. Not until Percy comes back.

But before he and his crew returned, an Iris Message appeared while the entire camp was in the mess hall. It showed Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson being captured by Luke on his ship, Princess Andromeda. Percy tricked Luke into admitting that he was the one that poisoned Thalia while everyone was listening. And thank gods for that because that meant they could finally say goodbye to Tantalus and that Chiron could come back.

Speaking of the centaur, they could see through the Iris Message the demigods being saved by Chiron and his relatives, the Party Ponies before the mist faded away.

The heroes and their beloved mentor finally came back home and when Percy was free he and Katie snuck into their treehouse and he told her all about the quest.

They have been attacked by the Hydra and almost died but then Clarisse saved them and took them aboard her own ship, the CSS Birmingham, a Confederate battleship manned by dead Confederates given to her by her father, Ares.

When they finally reached the Sea of Monsters they had to face Scylla and Charybdis. The ship's engine's temperature spiked to an almost unbearable heat, and Tyson volunteered to fix it. Scylla then snatched Percy, and at that moment, the engine explodes. Everyone had taken off. But Tyson was still inside and he thought that he lost him

Percy and Annabeth were then washed up at C.C.'s Spa and Resort on Circe's Island — which they later discovered was a prison for male demigods. Circe turned Percy into a guinea pig (which Katie really wished she could've seen) but Annabeth then saves him by giving him Hermes' multivitamins which turned him and _the freaking Blackbeard and his crew_ back into humans.

They escaped on Blackbeard's ship but then they had to pass the deadly Siren's Island. Annabeth wanted to hear them sing claiming that upon hearing the song, the listener will realize their deepest desires. Percy was reluctant to give in, but he agreed to tie her to the mast in order to stop her from attempting to reach the Sirens. He stuffed wax into his ears in order to keep a level head. As soon as they pass by the island, Annabeth begged Percy to free her, but Percy ignored her pleas and turned his back to her because it was hard seeing her like that. But then she freed herself with her knife that he forgot to take away from her.

Fortunately, Percy managed to save her by taking her down to the ocean away from the Sirens' songs. He was all blushy and kind of uncomfortable when talking about that part so Katie assumed that maybe the little love birds had finally taken a step forward in their relationship.

The Siren's had an oral hypnotic effect. When the Siren's had sung to Annabeth Hubris, her fatal flaw proved to be stronger than her and it almost had been her doom.

Fatal flaws are mental or physical weaknesses that demigods, humans, and immortals possess. These flaws can often cause the downfall of the being but are particularly dangerous to demigods. Katie always wondered what was her fatal flaw.

Anyway, long story short Tyson was alive, they rescued Grover in a wedding dress, retrieved the Golden Fleece, and let Clarisse take it to Camp. They would've come too but then Luke had captured them and the rest Katie had seen in the Iris Message.

~xXx~

Now that the Golden Fleece was gracing the branches of Thalia's Tree the entire Camp was back to it's divine and glorious self.

Katie was walking by the tree when she noticed it.

The roots at the bottom of the tree moved out of the way to reveal... _a person_.

They were laying half buried in the ground but the dirt and the plants were moving and coming off them making the figure rise slowly. As Katie looked closely she noticed that it was a girl around her age. She crouched near the body and with a shaking hand checked for a pulse. And to her utter shock, she realized she was alive.

"Oh, gods," Katie whispered in disbelief and ran down the hill to inform Chiron of the revival of Thalia Grace.

* * *

 **Next chapter: We are gonna go through The Titan's Curse events so, yay! Bianca and Nico and the others will appear.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, my heroes.**


	18. Things we owe to the Daughter of Demeter

_Always the innocent are the first victims, so it has been for ages past, so it is now._

* * *

They returned to Camp Half-Blood riding the sun chariot almost crashing it into the canoe lake.

Six months have passed since the Sea of Monsters adventure and Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia were sent on a mission to Westover Hall to meet Grover, who had found two powerful demigod siblings there, Bianca and Nico di Angelo.

They arrived not only with the newly found half-bloods but also with the Huntresses of Artemis who would be staying at Camp while Artemis had gone on a lonesome hunt after a monster too dangerous to bring her huntresses along.

But among the new faces, Katie couldn't spot a certain daughter of Athena.

Grover showed the Huntresses (and Bianca who is apparently one of them now) the way to the Artemis Cabin although they knew the way perfectly well (the satyr was just being a lovesick goat). Percy and Thalia took the hyperactive and fanboying Nico to the Big House and retold the recent events of the quest to Chiron and Mr. D.

The vice-principal of Westover hall turned out to be a manticore in disguise - a half scorpion and half lion monster in human form. They fought bravely but the demigods couldn't defeat the manticore. Thankfully, The Huntresses were there to rescue them. But as the archers sent the monster falling off the cliff he took Annabeth with him. The only thing left of her was her trademark Yankees cap that Percy was clutching close to his chest.

After introducing the young di Angelo to the wonderful (read: tragic and full of drama) world of Greek Gods, Percy and Thalia urgently asked for permission for them to go and save Annabeth. But the two were quickly forbidden to carry out any rescue plans they had for their precious friend, with Dionysus stating that there is a possibility that 'Annie Bell' has survived and that she should be smart enough to escape on her own.

"That lazy ass jerk! Oh, look at me, I'm the almighty wine dude and I was sent here by punishment so I'll be all pouty and _useless_!"

Katie and Percy were currently in their secret treehouse and the Daughter of Demeter was listening patiently and a little amused to her best friend rambling and cursing the Wine God. Understandably, he was upset that he couldn't go after his future beloved (yes, Katie was 100% sure that those two will end up together) and blaming everything on Mr. D was, of course, always easier.

After letting Percy complain and pace a bit more, Katie stood up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Percy, relax. It's not like you haven't gone behind Mr. D's back before. I'm sure there will come an opportunity for you guys to go on a quest eventually. Besides, you know Annabeth! She's tough and definitely smart enough to survive on her own. Just... you know, let the Fates do their job."

~xXx~

Chiron announced that a "friendly" game of Capture the Flag is going to be held against the Hunters, as it is a tradition at Camp Half-Blood.

Since it's winter there aren't many campers present. They had Beckendorf and two other Hephestus guys, half of the Ares cabin (although Clarisse didn't seem to be around surprisingly), the Stoll Brothers, Nico, and a few more from the Hermes cabin, some of the Demeter kids (including Katie) and a good amount of the Aphrodite cabin actually. It was rare for the Aphrodite kids wanting to play. Usually, they sat on the sidelines, chatted and checked their reflection in the river but it seemed that the Head of the Aphrodite cabin had an argument with the Huntresses.

"I'll show them 'love is worthless'," Silena grumbled as she strapped on her armor. "I'll pulverize them!" Maybe she has been spending too much time with Clarisse...

The team against the Huntresses of Artemis also consisted of Percy and Thalia, of course.

And although the two are on the same side they just couldn't get along. The fact they are supposed to be co-captains was like adding fuel to the fire. Having two leaders (and the kids of the rivalrous Big Three at that) always ended badly.

Before the game started Nico ran up to Percy with a big and excited grin. His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling on his eyes and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. Katie thought that he looked ridiculous but also quite adorable.

She saw from a distance Nico talking animatedly and looking up at the older boy with big eyes full of excitement and wonder. Percy took off the boy's helmet and replaced it with a one that Nico could actually see in. Percy then kneeled down to adjust the younger boy's armor and seeing that scene made Katie's heart melt. It looked like an older brother looking after his younger sibling.

And maybe Nico needed that. His own sister left him by joining the Huntresses. His whole life he has been depending on Bianca and now that he found himself alone, Percy was like a hero to the rescue.

The conch horn sounded signalizing the game of Capture the Flag has begun.

The campers followed Thalia's instructions and broke into smaller groups to get into their respective positions. Well, most of them did. Percy put Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stolls figuring he'll be safely out of the way. But instead of defending the flag himself he came running into the battlefield. Percy had a golden opportunity to get to their opponents' silver flag but Bianca who was guarding it managed to yell for help and Percy was taken down by the Huntresses' arrows.

Zoe Nightshade was the one that captured their flag, therefore, winning the match.

"The Huntresses win!" Chiron announced unexcitedly when he appeared out of the woods. Katie thought she heard him mutter, "For the fifty-sixth time in a row."

The Daughter of Zeus was not pleased with the blasted Sea Spawn ruining her plan and it wasn't long until the two were at each other's throats.

"Argh!" Thalia pushed Percy, and a shock went through his body that blew him backward ten feet into the water of the creek. Some of the campers gasped. A couple of the Hunters stifled laughs.

"Sorry!" Thalia immediately said, turning pale. "I didn't mean to—"

But the boy had none of it. And it really is a foolish thing to make Perseus Jackson angry. A wave erupted from the creek, blasting into Thalia's face and dousing her from head to toe.

Percy stood up making himself dry. "Yeah," he growled. "I didn't mean to, either."

Thalia was breathing heavily.

"Enough!" Chiron ordered. Everyone was watching the confrontation between the Son of Poseidon and the Daughter of Zeus.

Thalia held out her spear. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"

"Oh, no," Katie whispered bracing herself on what is surely about to happen. You absolutely _do not_ call Percy 'Seaweed Brain' if your anyone but Annabeth.

Percy's eyes darkened. Those sea-green depths usually filled with mirth and mischief now held a storm. When he spoke his voice was dangerously low. "Bring it on, Pinecone Face."

A ginormous mass of water forming a wave met a powerful and loud blast of lightning coming down from the sky.

"Stop this, both of you!" Chiron commanded trying to outshout the chaos Percy and Thalia was causing.

But the two demigods were blinded by their rage and hate towards each other. Percy willed the entire creek to rise. It swirled up, hundreds of gallons of water in a massive icy funnel cloud.

"Percy!" The centaur yelled out.

The demigod was about to hurl the water of the creek at Thalia when he noticed something in the woods. In a flick of a second, he lost his anger and concentration all at once, shock written all over his features. The water dropped back into the creekbed making a loud splash. Everybody was so surprised they turned to see what he was looking at.

The Oracle, the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo was standing right there. It has left the attic just to approach Zoe and give her the prophecy.

~xXx~

"You look like a confused deer," Katie giggled.

She was visiting the Stoll Brothers in the infirmary. Connor had two arrows stuck to his helmet like antennae and his brother had been hit with a fart arrow straight to the face. He wasn't hurt because the arrow's end wasn't sharp but now he smelled like a rotten egg and was sneezing with yellow smoke coming out of his nose.

Katie carefully took off the helmet with newly acquired antlers. Connor's head was spinning but beside a mild concussion, he was okay.

"Next time we are playing Capture the Flag with those demons... count me out," Travis said miserably, his voice sounding funny with the tissues in his nose.

"Aw, did that nasty wittle stink bomb made a boo-boo on wittle Travis' head," Katie said in a baby voice.

If anyone else would talk to him like that he would be offended but when it was Katie it was actually kind of funny and... well, cute. "Hey, stink bombs are only meant for pranks and hellhounds."

All three of them laughed remembering their little adventure during the road trip.

"But seriously," Connor said through clenched teeth. "That big girl from the Huntresses is gonna pay."

He remembered a bulky girl in a silver jacket knocking him down with her arrows.

"I think I heard someone call her Phoebe," Katie informed. She saw how that girl knocked Connor unconscious and hit Travis with a fart arrow. At first, she found it funny but when she saw Chiron taking and carrying the boys on his back she grew concerned and quickly went after them to the infirmary. Katie had to admit that she was angry at the huntress for endangering her... well, she wouldn't exactly call the Stoll Brothers her friends but still. But Phoebe dug her own grave by unleashing the rath of the merciless pranksters of Camp Half-Blood so Katie had no doubt that the Stolls are definitely going to take their revenge.

Soon they were summoned to a council meeting of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy.

It was decided that Zoë, Thalia, Bianca, Grover, and Phoebe would go on the quest. Percy, of course, protested wildly. When asked whether his determination was due to his desperation to rescue Annabeth, Percy hesitated. In the end, the decision is final and there is nothing he could do to change it. The prophecy said that only five of them could go and he understood that Grover was searching for Pan and Zoe had to go rescue Lady Artemis. And since she was the lieutenant she chose two more Huntresses to go with her - Phoebe their best tracker and Bianca to prove herself. And unsurprisingly Thalia volunteered and no one dared to question her. Except for Percy. He didn't know why he needed to go on that quest. Partly for Annabeth but... No, Annabeth is enough of a reason to go.

Knowing very well how important it is for him to go on the quest to save Annabeth and that the Stolls have unfinished business with a certain Huntress Katie thought of a perfect solution for both parties.

~xXx~

It was always loud and boisterous in the Hermes cabin so it was hard to hear the knocking on their door.

Chris Rodriguez who was leaning on the wall next to the entrance opened the door to reveal... _Katie Gardner?_

"Hi, may I come in?" She asked casually as Chris stared at her with wide dumbfounded eyes.

"Uh, yeah, sure..." He distractedly stepped out of the way for the girl to enter.

Whatever the occupants of the Hermes Cabin have been doing immediately stopped when they noticed just who had appeared in their doorway. It went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was extremely unusual to see _the_ Katie Gardner from the rivalrous Demeter cabin and the most vengeful and unforgiving sweatheart in the entire Camp Half-Blood, and probably the biggest enemy of the head counselors of the Hermes Cabin actually _inside_ the freaking _Hermes Cabin_.

She didn't seem to notice all of the shocked eyes following her as she made her way to Travis and Connor who were also gaping at her as if she was an alien on an unknown planet.

"Hey, guys. I gotta talk to you."

"...Talk to us?" Travis repeated confusedly.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Trust me I'm only here for business reasons." She tossed a little spray bottle to Connor.

He opened it and took a sniff and instantly recognized the acidic scent. His eyes widened even more. "Centaur blood?! Where did you get that?!"

There was a visible movement in the crowd - a few gasps and exchanged whispers.

"What? No way," Travis said as he took the bottle from his brother and checked for himself. After realizing that yes, it was in fact _centaur blood_ he suspiciously but also very curiously asked Katie. "So, what do you want?"

"I have a... prank idea to offer." She had the same gleam in her eyes that appeared every time she was about to get into trouble and she would love it.

~xXx~

Travis, Connor, and Katie were hiding in the shadows behind the Artemis Cabin waiting for the glorious sound signalizing their triumph.

Which came in a form of a loud screeching.

Soon it would be sunrise and since they are such early birds the Huntresses were already getting ready and dressed up. But unfortunately for the unexpecting Phoebe, a certain surprise has met her as soon as she put on the shirt from the Camp Store that the Stoll Brothers gave to her. She felt an annoying kind of stinging that made her scratch herself furiously but it only brought more burning pain.

The huntress roared frustrated as her skin was turning red. It was so loud it reached the awaiting ears of the three demigods looming outside. They couldn't help the smug grins and smirks because that meant that their little revenge prank was a success.

The trio left the crime scene unnoticed and feeling satisfied.

Phoebe will be bedridden for a couple of days due to the hives caused by the very acidic substance that is centaur blood and that meant she won't be able to go on the quest. And _that_ meant that Katie's sulking Romeo could go and get back his Juliet.

~xXx~

After rescuing a marine cow-like creature called the Ophiotaurus at night, Percy found Nico eavesdropping on the Huntresses in the Mess Hall. Using Annabeth's Yankees cap, he turned himself invisible and learned about the recent prank pulled on Phoebe. Percy made a mental note to thank the Stoll Brothers later. He quickly stopped Nico, who wanted to follow his sister on the quest. The older demigod managed to convince the boy to stay safely in the Camp's borders. But not without promising the kid that he'll try to protect Bianca.

Katie was already waiting for Percy with Blackjack.

"Hurry!" She whisper-yelled. "They are going to drive away as soon as the sun is up. You gotta follow them."

"You know what happened?" He was surprised.

The girl snorted. "Yours truly, at your service."

"Wait, you made Phoebe sick?" He asked as he got onto Blackjack's back.

"Yep," She smiled smugly and Percy rolled his eyes. "You'll thank me later. Now go!"

He nodded gratefully before flying away on the black stallion.

"And don't get yourself killed on the way," Katie said to herself looking up at them as they got smaller and smaller. She denied the fact that she was actually a bit worried for her friend.

"Percy?" She heard someone call. Turning around she noticed a ten-year-old boy with dark features making him look like he was... Spanish? Maybe Italian? Looking closely she recognized that it was Nico, that kid Percy and the others had brought to Camp with the kid's sister.

"Oh, uh, he just... left," The girl replied. She was supposed to not know Percy. Hopefully, Nico won't think much of it.

His face fell. "Oh."

Okay, maybe it was this weird Momma Bear thing she picked up from Aunt Sally or she was just genuinely a nice person because Katie walked up to the boy and put a comforting hand on his bony shoulder just like she used to do with Percy when _he_ was a sad and grumpy kid with family issues.

"Come on, it's almost breakfast," She smiled her most encouraging smile and led him back to the Mess Hall.

The sun finally peaked itself from out of the horizon and colored the entire landscape with golden colors. When the two reached their destination they realized someone was already there.

"Katie! Thank gods, take them away!" Castor exclaimed. Like usual, he and his brother were helping the Nymphs setting the tables. What was unusual was the other set of twins sitting on one of the desks and emptying the Camp's limitless supply of food.

"What? We were hungry," Travis said, his mouth full of chewed up pancakes. Connor next to him nodded.

"Uhhh..." Nico subconsciously took a tiny step behind Katie. Just like he used to hide behind Bianca when it was just him and her against the big wide world.

"Don't mind them," Katie said to him and proceeded to grab both of the Stolls by their ears ignoring their cries of pain and drag them away. "You're sitting on Hera's table." The most vindictive goddess.

She sat the boys down at the fireplace that was in the middle of all the twelve tables and motioned to Nico to sit with them which he reluctantly did.

"Is that... also Hestia's Hearth?" He pointed at the fire.

Katie looked at him startled. "You saw Hestia?"

"Who?" Travis was confused. The Daughter of Demeter elbowed him. " _Ow_."

"Um, well," Nico started. "I noticed a girl at that campfire where the cabins are... She called it her hearth. Is this also the... hearth?"

Katie felt a newfound respect towards that kid. Not many have stopped by to even acknowledge Hestia.

She smiled at him fondly. "Nah, this is the fireplace where we sacrifice parts of our food to the Gods. Which also includes Hestia."

"Okay, what are guys still doing here?" Pollux suddenly spoke up when he noticed that the other demigods haven't let. He made shooing motions. "Breakfast is in three hours. Go away and let us do our jobs."

"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill!" Connor whined. "Come hang out with us!"

The blond grumbled something under his breath and it seemed like he was about to decline but Katie tugged his arm making him fall to the ground next to them. Castor laughed and also joined the group offering everybody grapes as purple as his eyes.

They sat there talking and goofing around for a while. Castor and Pollux were the life of the little party like every Dionysus kids are supposed to be. And they didn't need wine for it to be entertaining.

Katie laughed at her friends' antics. It seemed like things have turned out great. Travis and Connor got their revenge on the violent huntress (which she can never know about) thanks to her brilliant plan, Percy is out there chasing after the one he loves but doesn't realize he loves yet, and it looked like Nico also grew more comfortable with his surroundings when she introduced him to more people. Man, those people owe her big times.

Nico really did feel welcome more than ever. Since Bianca left him to join the Hunt he has been mostly alone. But he didn't feel like it among those goofballs.

It's a shame that this moment of pure bliss and happiness was soon about to end.

* * *

 **BECAUSE EVERYONE TURNS OVERPROTECTIVE AND AFFECTIONATE AROUND A SAD NICO AND FEELS THE NEED TO PROTECT THE PRECIOUS BEAN THAT HE IS AT ALL COST, OKAY?!**

 **Fun fact: This chapter's quote was said by the amazing J.K. Rowling! (And yes, it's about Nico)**

 **Next chapter: Rachel is in on the secret.**

 **Anyway, Until my return and goodbye my heroes!**


	19. All the deaths we had to face

_We can never fully repay our fallen heroes but we can honor their sacrifice._

* * *

It seemed like the worst part of being Percy's friend was simply waiting and praying for him to return from his endless quests unscathed.

Katie was getting tired of staring at the ocean or the sky or the Camp Half-blood Hill hoping that the heroes sent on a mission will arrive swimming on hippocampi or flying on pegasi like the dramatic idiots they were. There was and always will be the possibility of them not coming back at all. But Katie didn't let herself think that way. And as much as she wanted for her friends to be safe and sound after their journey, she knew that this world full of ancient power didn't work like that. There was no way that the campers and huntresses would come back not damaged in any way.

And unfortunately, she was right.

They managed to save Annabeth but she and Percy didn't escape the place where Atlas was holding up the sky without taking the heavy burden themselves. Now Percy and Annabeth share the bond of the Titan's curse in the white streaks of their hair. It was romantic in a very tragic way.

And the two huntresses, Bianca and Zoe that have also gone on that quest? Well, they didn't come back at all.

Bianca was brutally crushed by Talos, an automaton in the Junkyard of the Gods. She had awakened the robotic monster by stealing a Mythomagic action figure for her dearest younger brother but managed to defeat the automaton by sacrificing herself. They wouldn't have survived if not for her.

Zoe fought like a true warrior but in the end, she had fallen by Atlas', her father's hand just like the Prophecy had foretold. Touched by her Lieutenant's actions Artemis had turned Zoe into a constellation — the Huntress — as both a reward for the latter's services and as a reminder to the world of her existence. Now she could eternally hunt in peace on the vast sparkling sky.

Breaking the news of the fallen heroes to their loved ones was the hardest thing that the young demigods could do.

But the most devasted one was the precious Nico. Hearing of his sister's death made him feel despair, shock, and anger in the most traumatizing way. It was a news no ten-year-old should ever hear. His emotions were so powerful it triggered his inner godly powers by making skeletal warriors appear and splitting the earth to swallow them up. It was then that they found out Nico di Angelo was a son of Hades.

As Percy was telling Annabeth about Nico and his newly discovered abilities, Grover arrived, claiming that, he had heard Pan's voice speak three words in his mind, _"I await you."_

Grover soon had trials held by The Council of the Cloven Elders. They decided that the satyr has only one week to find the lost God of the Wild. Otherwise, his searcher's license would be forfeited. Juniper, his beloved girlfriend was there for his much-needed moral support but she wasn't in a better state then he was and started weeping so much Katie and Annabeth had to comfort her.

Not too long after that Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson found themselves on yet another quest to not only find the Lord of the Wild but also Daedalus, the inventor of the infamous Labirynth.

Annabeth and Percy accidentally found the entrance to the Labyrinth during a camp game designed by Quintus, the new sword-master (with a giant Hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary as a pet). The two demigods were attacked by three giant scorpions. They try to find a place to hide and squeeze between two boulders which turned out to be a tunnel, a magical underground maze, under Zeus' Fist within the heart of the camp.

The Daughter of Athena explained that this is the center of the secret mission Clarisse had undergone during their last quest — finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. She also explains that Luke Castellan might be planning to use it as an invasion route. And that's when it was decided that they'll have to go find the maze's creator.

It was weeks till they returned. Well, not 'they' but 'her'. Yes, only Annabeth came back. With the absolutely worst news that Katie could ever hear in her life.

The blond girl was tired, dirty, and her face was puffy from crying. Juniper whose tree was near the entrance to the maze took the younger girl to Chiron. With difficulty, the demigod told him about their quest.

With caution, Katie sneaked close to the window outside the Big House so she could listen. She heard Annabeth start sobbing when she got to the part when Percy had to face the telekhines and caused the massive explosion on Mount St. Helens. He wasn't found ever since.

Katie covered her mouth in horror. She couldn't hear the rest of what they were saying, too shocked to process anything.

There was _no way_ in the ever-loving _Hades_ that this little moron is...

No, he _had_ to be okay. It's Perseus _Freaking_ Jackson. He just can't die. Not while he and Katie still have so many stupid things to do.

The girl shakily walked away from the window. At the porch, Juniper was still waiting and she raised startled eyes when she noticed Katie come from behind the Big House.

"Katie?" The dryad said concerned. Her friend looked... troubled and disturbed. Her shoulders rising and falling too quickly, her state absentminded and on the verge of breaking down. When Katie heard Juniper's voice she snapped her head towards her. Her usually peaceful green eyes were filled with worry and panic.

Katie tried to say something but her words were choked. Seeing her friend so distressed Juniper ran up to her quickly and wrapped her arms tightly around the shorter girl rubbing her back soothingly and letting Katie cry silent tears.

~xXx~

A month has passed and there was no sign of Percy Jackson whatsoever.

Everyone was depressed and although the Sun was still obnoxiously shinning the atmosphere in Camp was grim.

After an agonizingly long time waiting for the hero to arrive, the camp had to assume Percy dead and prepare the burial ceremony. The Athena cabin offered to make Percy's Burial Shroud. It was made from long sea-green silk, embroidered with a silver trident. A shroud worthy of the Camp Hero.

Katie didn't want to believe that he _was_ gone. She was still stubbornly waiting for that idiot to just come back like it was any other day.

Travis and Connor tried to cheer her up every day since they got the news but although they never showed it, they were as depressed as much as the rest of the Camp. The brothers knew Percy since he was that twelve-year-old confused kid that needed protection. Sometimes when he was living with them in the Hermes Cabin he had trouble sleeping (demigod dreams can be very bothersome) and the Stoll brothers who would come back at night after preparing a prank would sit with him and talk about some mindless stuff to keep Percy's mind off of his troubles. He might've been that powerful hero but he had been also that kid with so much pressure thrust into him and too many responsibilities to bear for someone so young. The Stoll Brothers often asked him to join in on their pranks and just have a little fun. Because they wanted for him to stay being that kid and not grow up too fast.

Silena also knew Percy since day one. You could often find her at the stables grooming and taking care of the beautiful pegasi. Back then Percy wasn't good at any of the Camp's activities except canoeing and well, _horseriding_. He and Silena would have epic races flying through the pleasantly cold air on the pegasi. And when it was time to take the mighty creatures back to the stables they would rest on the hay and talk like lifelong friends. The Daughter of Aphrodite was proud of her little talent that she was able to get things out of people with ease. The boy talked fondly about his time in Texas where he learned to ride horses and Silena always loved when his eyes always so full of irony and insecurity would show a bit of sparkle when talking about things he loved. She was admittedly also very maternal towards the young boy. You could see that being bullied wasn't anything new to Percy and that he could fight his own battles but whenever Silena had the chance she would talk some of the campers out of harming him too much at the arena or convince the Ares cabin to go easy on him on the next Capture the Flag.

Speaking of the Ares cabin, they were never friendly or even civil towards Percy at all. Clarisse, their Head Counselor at first saw the short and skinny twelve-year-old Percy as an easy target. And even after he proved to be quite a powerful and a skilled opponent she would never falter. Clarisse didn't give him pity or mercy. In some weird way, the boy was thankful for that. He didn't want to be seen as that helpless kid made out of easily shattered glass. He appreciated all the help and understanding from his friends but he appreciated the fights with Clarisse even more. She wasn't afraid to hurt him and that made him feel like they were equals, like he wasn't just a kid that you gotta be gentle with. That's why every victorious fight against the Daughter of Ares was so satisfying.

He was in a similar situation with Thalia. Wheather it was physically or verbally they would fight every time they had an encounter. It was to be expected, of course. Son of Poseidon and Daughter of Zeus. Kids of probably the most rivalrous siblings out there. But they managed to do the impossible – they became friends. They still butted heads but it wasn't anything serious anymore. In fact, they cared about each other like any good cousins would. One time some of the daring campers with a lot of nerve and a death wish made fun of Percy in a way that hit home just a bit too close. Thalia who there did not take it lightly. For she was allowed to taunt the boy but some arrogant low lifes like them certainly weren't.

Understandably, everyone felt great surprise and happiness when Percy crashed his own funeral.

The campers were both overjoyed and angry at him. Most of them greeted him warmly and enthusiastically and some punched him in the arm for 'making them worry so much you asshole'.

Katie was standing there at the back staring at him stunned not even noticing the tears of relief coming out of her eyes. They made eye contact and the wordless conversation ensued. She blinked away the tears that were slowly blurring her vision and glared at him. That was the only sign Percy needed to understand that they are going to have a serious talk.

When everybody had their own share of Percy and he talked to Chiron with Annabeth at the Big House he went straight to the treehouse.

He climbed up the tree to reach the small cabin made out of the tree's branches and leafs to see a very pissed off Daughter of Demeter with crossed arms looking at him scary. He oh-so-slowly approached her as if she was a dangerous animal waiting to pounce.

"So, um. I'm alive?" He offered an awkward smile and gave her his best puppy eyes.

"Yeah, I can see that! You are so paying me back for all those days I spent worrying about you!" Katie proceeded to ramble on how angry he made her feel. She used some very descriptive words that neither Aunt Sally nor Aunt Bonnie would approve off. She then topped all of with: "Gods, I hate you!"

She sat down with an irritated sigh and Percy cautiously took a seat next to her. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Dimples, I got something for you." Seemingly out of nowhere he produced a silvery white flower that seemed to have a glow of its own.

Katie's eyes widened recognizing the supposedly mythical flower that she only read books about. She gently took the plant and asked, "I-is that... _Moonlace_?"

"Yeah. I got it from... someone special," He turned sad for a moment. "I promised to plant in Manhattan. I wouldn't know how to take care of it so..."

The girl smiled, her dimples popping up for the first time since she heard the news that her friend might be dead. "It'll look great in the flower box at your apartment."

~xXx~

Soon Annabeth and Percy had to go continue their quest and find Tyson and Grover.

But after a while when they left, Kronos' army exploded from the Labyrinth. The campers, along with the satyrs, nymphs, and Chiron, did their best to hold off the enemy forces. But the camp was facing too many monsters and demigods that turned to Kronos' side. It was indeed hard because they had to fight people that used to be their friends.

Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag. The Hephaestus cabin set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth—razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's Fist. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Apollo's cabin which was led by Lee Fletcher were scattered in the woods with bows ready. The Hermes kids were protecting them from the enemies that managed to sneak up on the archers that needed to be fully concentrated at aiming. Even the dryads were armed fiercely guarding their trees and rivers. The satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, appeared flying on pegasi with Daedalus, Mrs.O'Leary, and Briares then coming from the maze.

Annabeth went to join her brethren from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Our security chief, Argus, stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of our horsehair plumes. Dionysus was nowhere to be seen (gods couldn't interfere directly in mortal battles), but Castor and Pollux, his two blond twin sons were running around providing all our warriors with everything they needed (mainly grape juice boxes).

Katie kept perfect calm while leading the Demer Cabin. Most of her brothers and sisters were situated on the trees using chlorokinesis from up there where they wouldn't be easily harmed. Katie and the rest of her siblings were fighting the enemy directly on the ground. She was professionally slashing her Soulripper through the monsters without mercy and only cutting the demigods not to kill them but so they wouldn't be able to fight.

And that was when she saw it.

Castor was being attacked by an enemy demigod. The son of Dionysus wasn't the most skilled fighter and the only weapon he had was the bronze shield that was covering him from his much stronger opponent's spear.

Katie immediately started running down the hill to help her friend.

She watched as the bulky girl kept hitting Castor while he was barely dodging her attacks. At some point, the enemy girl managed to wound him by thrusting her spear into his arm. The boy cried out and Katie sped up but she was too far. It seemed like it was going in slow motion and all the sounds around Katie have been muted.

He fell to the ground and with one last blow the enemy half-blood took away Castor's life.

Katie fell to her knees. She didn't make it on time.

Her wide eyes watched in horror as blood spilled from Castor's head.

First Bianca and Zoe, then Pan, now _Castor_.

Suddenly, her shock was replaced with _rage_. Being vengeful and unforgiving was always something Katie couldn't control. And this _traitor_ demigod just _killed_ one of her best friends. Katie ran towards the girl with a warcry full of anger and hurt and easily flung the spear away from the other's hand with her scythe. She then with _full force_ punched the girl in the face with her fist knocking her out.

The war was going on and it seemed that the camp may be saved, but then Kampe, a giant and a very powerful lady snake suddenly burst from the Labirynth. And if not for Grover they all would've been doomed.

After reuniting with Juniper and helping her taking down the fire that was dangerously close to her tree (which made her angrier than anyone has ever seen her be) he too entered the battlefield. After gaining the power of the great god of the wild Pan, all it took for him to make the monsters and enemy half-bloods scrambling away back to the maze was opening his mouth and release a loud, powerful and the most terrifying sound. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times.

The ancient magic that Grover has used was word panic is named after Pan who let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies during the first war of the gods and the Titans. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Okay, turns out that I had much more to write about in this chapter than I originally anticipated so we'll have Rachel in the _next_ chapter.**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	20. Back to the Wild West

_The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas._

* * *

The Battle of the Labyrinth (as the campers decided to call it) was over.

The campers were treating the wounded, which was almost everybody. The Hephaestus kids were repairing all that was damaged and the satyrs, dryads, and the Demeter cabin worked to heal the woods.

Katie was using her powers on the dead yellow patch of grass that Nico fainted on (his powers must be getting stronger) when she saw Pollux approaching her.

He didn't change his clothes since yesterday and from the dirt and dried up blood it seemed that he didn't shower either. His blonde hair was unusually messy and his face was puffy as if he was crying whole night.

She couldn't blame him. Katie was the one that told him about his twin brother's death. And it was one of the hardest things she had ever done. Yesterday when they were burning the burial shrouds of the fallen, Pollux was the one giving a speech before setting Castor's shroud on fire. Or at least he tried to. With difficulty had he held back his tears but his voice choked up when he tried to say a few words and in the end, he just took the torch and lit the pyre with it. Never had she seen someone so heartbroken.

Katie and Juniper took Pollux on a walk in the forest talking while all three of them healed plants on the way. The girls tried to comfort him but mentioning his brother just made him more depressed so they tried to distract his mind by conversing lightly like they used to. Like it was any other day. Just hanging out not talking about the battle or even the Greek world altogether. For once just for a few minutes, they tried to be just three normal teenagers that didn't have their lives at stakes or an upcoming war on their heads.

Later when it was dinner time Katie didn't let Pollux sit alone at the Dionysus table. She decidedly took his hand and dragged him with her to the Demeter table where her siblings and nymphs greeted him warmly. They knew him just as well as they knew their Head Counselor. The Demeter and Dionysus cabin worked together on multiple occasions after all. Katie was half afraid that Mr. D would be offended but when she glanced up at him the god send her a grateful look.

After dinner, Katie noticed Percy go after Nico to the woods. She wanted to go as well to check up on both her best friend and the kid that only one summer ago used to be this confused, overexcited, little nerd. Now, look how he matured. Katie figured that the two of them needed to talk some things through so she left them be and instead went with the rest of the guys to the amphitheater for the campfire.

Percy came back when the demigods were singing cheesy camp songs. He joined them and took a closest random seat that just happened to be next to Katie.

"Hey," She didn't have to worry if anyone hears them because it was loud enough and it looked like the two were just having a small talk. "Is Nico... alright?"

"He left camp. He said that he doesn't know anything about his past and that he needs to find out. But don't worry, we're on good terms now." Katie was glad. She wouldn't want for the two of the most powerful demigods to part ways as enemies.

"Good," She said wistfully already missing the kid. "Did you give him the Hades figurine?"

Percy smiled fondly. "Yeah."

"Hey, what about the whole Pan incident? How did the meeting with the Cloven Council go? Juniper didn't tell me yet. She was too busy making out with the goat boy."

"Uh, too much info. And well, let's just say that the Council was _cloven_ ," He said with a satisfied smirk.

Katie only snorted at him and his dumb pun.

~xXx~

The rest of the summer seemed strange because it was so normal. The daily activities continued: archery, rock climbing, pegasus riding. They played capture the flag (though we all avoided Zeus's Fist), sang at the campfire, raced chariots, and played practical jokes on the other cabins.

Some of the half-bloods and nymphs, unfortunately, spent most of their time in the infirmary. But as the Apollo kids were treating them they played music for the patients, joked around, and told them stories so it wasn't that bad.

Percy spent a lot of time with Tyson and playing with Mrs. O'Leary, but she would still howl at night when she got lonely for her old master. Annabeth and him pretty much skirted around each other all the time. The campers were already making bets on when exactly the two are gonna get together.

Grover as the former Lord of the Wild requested went to spread the words of Pan – they must save the world a little at the time in different corners of the world. So the satyr rallied the nature spirits together to grant Pan's dying wish and sent them to national parks, the last wild places, and to defend the parks in the big cities. Everyone (especially nymphs and Demeter kids) was so proud of Grover, probably the bravest, most honorable satyr out there.

Everyone fought bravely and although the days spent fixing the camp and treating the wounded seemed to drag along lazily the last day at camp came way too quickly. Like it always does.

A day before it was time to go home Katie and Percy decided to meet in the treehouse.

Percy who was already waiting in the little house looked up when he noticed Katie coming in. "You said you wanted to see me, Miss Gardner?"

She snorted. "Why, yes. There is a certain matter I'd like to discuss with you." Fishing out a small object out of her pocket she tossed it to Percy. He caught it and started to inspect it. "Happy birthday!"

His gift from his partner in crime was a camp bead. It was red with a golden intricate maze symbolizing the Battle of the Labyrinth.

"Thanks." He smiled and took off his leather necklace and put the bead on to hang it with the other two beads from the last two summers. "But my birthday is in three days."

"I know. That's what I wanted to talk about." Katie sat down in front of him and leaned back on the tree trunk. "I had one of those demigod dreams." Percy nodded understandably. He had these dreams more than anyone. "And... I don't know, I think I shouldn't be with you on your birthday? Because... I guess something... _big_ is supposed to happen."

"What, another apocalypse? Because I already have this reserved for my sixteenth birthday." Katie gave him a look. That's not exactly a subject they usually talk about. Percy had Annabeth to talk to about the gods, war, prophecies and all the doom-bringing stuff and he had Katie to talk to about 'how many marshmallows would fit in his mouth' and 'when are we gonna sneak into that aquapark'. "Yeah, I get it. You gotta listen to your dreams. But you'll miss the blue cake."

Katie glared. "If you won't save me a piece, I swear to gods I will end you." Anybody would be ready to kill for Sally's cake.

They laughed and talked a bit more before the conch horn sounded and it was time for lunch.

Some campers like Katie arranged to stay at camp a little longer too. For example, Annabeth decided to stay to tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered. She also wanted to study Daedalus's laptop some more (her whole entire focus was on the screen of that laptop for the last two months). Then she would head back to her father's place in San Francisco.

Katie though would stay only for a few days more. The summer will officially end in a month anyway. Most of her siblings were injured laying in the infirmary and she wanted to make sure they'll be okay. Besides now that almost all the satyrs were gone the nymphs needed even more help in healing the forest and the Strawberry Fields.

Besides Katie also was reluctant to leave Pollux alone in Camp although he insisted that he's fine. But well, everyone knows that 'fine' means everything but 'fine'. And (not that she would ever admit that) Katie wanted to spend some more time with the Stoll Brothers. After the Phoebe scheme, they started to include her in their pranks which with the additional member became more merciless and crazier.

When Katie came back home she found out that something 'big' did happen on Percy's party for his fifteenth birthday.

Firstly, Paul, the guy that Sally met on her writing seminar and was apparently dating, asked Percy 'if it would be okay' for him to marry his mother. Percy wasn't sure if the man was asking for his permission but he thought it was sweet of Paul to talk to the son of the girl he liked about this. So the boy said it would be a great idea if the two married.

Secondly, Percy's biological father, Poseidon dropped by. Which was awkward for everyone except Tyson who was happy to see his dad. The god and Percy talked in private in the kitchen. Poseidon told him that he was his favorite son and gave him a... sand dollar for his birthday. And then proceeded to vanish which made it hard to convince Paul that he left via the fire escape.

Thirdly, the second unexpected guest star inviting himself to the party was Nico. He appeared out of the shadows and said that he found a way to beat Kronos. Percy being the secretly-caring-big-brother towards Nico, took him inside and offered him a piece of cake before they started talking about it.

Katie sure did miss a lot. But not the blue piece of cake waiting for her in the fridge. Which honestly was all that really mattered.

~xXx~

The Daughter of Demeter opened the window and stepped on the fire escape. She put her hands in the dirt in the planter box at Percy's apartment. The moonlace he got in Ogygia started to slightly wilt and Katie used her powers to give it more energy.

It seemed that the flower kept bringing back some painful memories for Percy because every time he would look at the moonlace his face would turn wistful and kinda sad. She didn't know the full story behind the moonlace but she could see that it was a touchy subject so she never asked. Instead, she just supported her friend morally and helped him keep the plant alive. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what happened on Ogygia. She never heard about this place so it must be part of the Greek world. Maybe Percy met someone there and something happened to the person?

Katie sighed. They did lose many of their friends this summer.

For a second there she was seeing Castor's bleeding body lying lifelessly on the ground but then she shook her head and the intrusive memory was gone. She really didn't want to think about it.

Because of her rather dangerous lifestyle, you'd think she already would have seen someone die. But no. Castor's death was the first that she has ever witnessed. She wondered if the Stoll brothers felt like this when they saw hers and Percy's fake bodies hitting the ground as they fell from Empire State Building.

She heard the door opening and closing and footsteps walking up to her. Turning around she noticed that it was Percy.

"Hey, quick question: can I blindfold you?" He asked this question as if it was the most normal thing to say. Which by their standards it actually was... He was holding up a black scarf that they have been using to cover their faces when going on heists.

"Will I regret it?" Katie was a bit thrown off by his random request but it's not like they have never done anything weirder than this.

Percy already covered her startled eyes and while tying the scarf he said, "You'll see."

Katie noted to never let Percy guide her when her eyes are closed because he would just make her bump into every object in the way and scream at her 'I said your left!' or 'Keep going... Wait, no stop!' Too late she would already slip or run into a wall.

At some point, Katie had enough and turned to where she thought Percy was standing and snapped at him. "Alright, what the Hades is this supposed to be?! Whatever you want to show me _better be good._ "

"Geez," She heard him say. "No need to get all worked up. Besides," he started to untie the scarf, "we're here!"

When she was able to see again the first thing she noticed was a _private jet_ standing there outside in the parking lot. Katie froze and her eyes went round.

"Surprise!" Percy exclaimed. Normally, she would wince because he yelled out while standing right next to her but she was a bit too stunned to react.

It was smaller than most planes but even from outside Katie could see that it was heavily luxurious. It was white and gold and had those small round windows on the sides. The entryway was open and a red carpet was elegantly laid on the stairs.

"Did you stole this... ?" She blurted out still staring at what she thought was a hallucination.

Percy snorted. "Can't you have some faith in me? I didn't steal it. Now, come on! You haven't seen the best part."

He took her hand and run up to the jet. He tried to cover her eyes before they enter but she slapped his hands away.

As Katie stepped inside she heard multiple voices yell out: "Surprise!"

"Ok, what's up with all those surprises today?" Katie asked annoyed but she couldn't help but grin as she looked at the familiar faces sitting inside.

Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Sally, and Rachel were waiting with a cake and party hats on the comfy couch-like seats.

"Don't tell me you forgot about your own birthday, baby girl," Aunt Bonnie said.

Katie looked even more confused. "It's not my birthday... I mean I think I would know when my own-" She started to say but then Percy held up a phone showing today's date and she cut herself off. "Oh, nevermind. Happy Birthday to me."

Everyone cheered and the girl went to sit down next to Rachel who hugged her. Percy met Rachel last summer at the Hoover Dam and this year she happened to help him out on the Labirynth quest. It turned out that the redhead is attending to Goode High just like Katie and Percy so naturally the trio have been hanging out a lot lately.

"I'm guessing you are the one paying for this trip," The daughter of Demeter asked.

"It took a lot of begging to convince my dad," Rachel answered.

The plane started to move and soon they were up in the air.

"Wait a minute," Katie suddenly said and turned to Percy who was sitting in front of them. "Aren't you afraid that... you know, Zeus will blast you off when you enter his domain... or something?"

"There... is a possibility of that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But that would offend Poseidon and Zeus wouldn't risk another war. At least I hope." He muttered the last part to himself.

So, that wasn't the most reassuring thing to say but Katie honestly didn't want to care right now. She just wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

~xXx~

Katie stretched as she got off the jet. "Well, that was fun- What the hades. Where are we?! This is not the place where I got on this plane! I knew I was being kidnapped again!"

"Whoa, what do you mean 'again'?" Aunt Bonnie asked as she also got out.

"Uhhh..." Katie and Percy exchanged looks remembering the time they were abducted by the circus.

Thankfully, Rachel then changed the subject. "Welcome back to San Antonio, Texas!" She made a pose as if to show off the entire landscape.

"What?" It was the third surprise today. Katie turned to Percy. "I thought we were just hanging out in the jet."

"Well, I thought we could make a little stop before coming back home," the boy shrugged. To tell you the truth Percy was planning this trip for a while now. Katie has been pretty bummed out after the Battle of Labirynth and seeing that their criminal lives were sadly over boredom was getting to her more than ever. Percy wanted to take her mind off of all those things and he assumed that it would be the perfect birthday gift to visit Texas, the place full of fond memories that had nothing to do with Greek gods.

"So.. what now?" Rachel asked taking off her sunglasses. "Do we wait for Taxi?"

Katie snorted. "You New Yorkers are so adorable."

As if on cue they heard hoves hitting asphalt galloping towards them. They looked up to see two men on horseback with five extra horses trailing behind them.

"Dad! Uncle Joe!" The girl exclaimed.

A very cowboy cry came out of Uncle Joe's mouth. He waved his hat in greetings.

When they reached the small group both of the men got off the horses.

Katie giggled as her dad hugged her tightly lifting her up. "There's my little girl! You should visit more often." Mr. Gardner then ruffled Percy's already messy hair. "Hey, my favorite troublemaker! Set some microwaves on fire while I was gone?" He asked jokingly.

"Um, there were a few accidents..." _Like the time I exploded an entire island but you don't have know that,_ Percy thought.

"Howdy do, ma' ladies!" Uncle Joe greeted Sally, Bonnie, and Rachel after hugging Katie and Percy.

Sally and Rachel looked at him confused.

"He asks how are you," Bonnie translated looking at her ex-husband flatly.

"Oh," Rachel said.

"We're good, thank you," Sally answered the man after a second.

"Man, those townies have a lot to learn out here in the Wild West," Joe commented with the trademark southern accent that Katie and Percy grew to love.

After welcoming the newcomers, Calvin and Joe let them get on the horses. Katie and Percy were, of course, perfectly familiar with bestriding their loyal steeds that are Steadfast and Oakley. The animals enthusiastically bumped their snouts on the teenagers' faces in warm greetings.

It sure has been a while for Bonnie since the last time she found herself sitting in the saddle. But from the way she got on that mare - with ease and silent confidence, you'd think that she has never left Texas, that she's once again that badass cowgirl she used to be.

Sally and Rachel were a different story though. Reluctantly and with much less confidence than Bonnie did they got on the mighty creatures. The group headed to the Gardner household slowly despite how much the two former thieves were itching for a race.

They spent the rest of the few days that was left of the summer in Texas.

Katie and Percy were excitedly showing Rachel everything that they held dear in the southern state. So mostly everything. They took her horse riding and bull riding almost every day, hang out in the treehouse, swam in the lake and plainly had fun. Rachel was a bit overwhelmed (not as much as that time she found out about the Greek gods being real), seeing the two behave like this was like looking at completely different people. Katie usually so quiet and peaceful was suddenly this wild and bold western bull rider. And Percy the Camp hero with a huge weight of the upcoming Titan War on his shoulders was now a worry-less and cool-headed kid without a care in the world.

One evening they decided it was time for a bonfire. Lights were softly glowing in the night, laughter, bickering, and talking accompanied the country music in the background. The stars were shining brighter than anywhere else in the world. Well, Texas was known for its wondrous night sky.

Katie plopped herself on the wooden stump next to Percy who was sitting near the fire. "Well, my dad is telling Rachel all our embarrassing childhood stories and Aunt Sally is trying to stop Aunt Bonnie from strangling Uncle Joe."

"...Thanks for the summary?" Percy chuckled.

"So, this is all really fun but..." She trailed off not wanting to ruin the light mood. "Aren't you supposed to, you know, prepare for... _his_ awakening." 'His' meaning Kronos but Chiron always kept saying not to 'speak the name of the ancient for it will bring them more power'.

Percy didn't answer for a moment. Just kept staring into the fire. "I just wanted to make the best of... possibly my last days. This might be the last time I'll be able to see this place after all."

Katie nodded understanding fully well how he felt. It was grim thinking but hey, if your gonna end up dead anyway you might as well enjoy yourself while you still can.

She looked up at the impressively bright sky and as she spotted a constellation she smiled sadly but also with a certain fondness.

"Hey, look." When Percy realized what she was pointing at he too smiled sadly.

Shining brighter than ever was the Gemini constellation. Castor and Pollux were named after that constellation. Katie remembered that in most versions of the story of the Gemini, Castor dies. _Guess, names really do have power,_ she sighed.

Katie would often look for that specific formation of stars at night while stargazing.

* * *

 **CASTOR AND POLLUX ARE IMPORTANT AND JUST NEED MORE RECOGNITION AND LOVE, DON'T EVEN FIGHT ME ON THAT!**

 **Oh, and if there is anybody offended by the way I have portrayed the people from Texas (Katie's dad and Uncle Joe) than I am truly sorry. I did not mean to make fun of people that are** ** _actually_** **from Texas or their fabulous culture. And please note that it was mainly for comic relief :)**

 **Next chapter: Katie's fatal flaw (The Last Olympian timeline)**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	21. Prepare for battle

_Courage, dear heart._

* * *

The word of Percy's arrival spread as soon as the familiar sound of conch horn was blown.

Connor who was currently on the lookout duty near the beach was the one sounding the alarm. After clumsily falling off the tree he was perched on, he quickly ran up to the shore where the son of Poseidon emerged from the ocean.

When Katie heard the signalizing sound she was one of the first ones to ran up to the dining pavilion where Percy and Connor stopped and waited for the rest of the Camp to catch up. But then as Katie saw their expressions she slowed and paused on the hill not too far from the boys.

Later that day Beckendorf had left camp on Blackjack to pick up Percy and complete their mission to destroy Princess Andromeda. The plan was to blow up the ship with Kronos and all his monsters in it and if that wouldn't work out they will hope to at least slow down the enemy's forces by eliminating a great majority of them.

Percy came back. But Beckendorf was not in sight.

Katie's worried gaze shifted back to Percy. His shoulders were slack, head slightly bowed as if he didn't have the energy in him to keep it upright. There was no life behind his eyes. Granted, Percy never was the most enthusiastic kid full of positivity and excitement to spare but there was always a determined spirit in him. Now though, it seemed like it was replaced by sorrow. His gaze was distant as he looked at the camp as if trying to remember the first time he stepped foot on this safe haven. It felt like it was eons ago.

Chiron and Annabeth were the first ones to approach him. A small relieved smile appeared on Katie's lips when Percy instantly lightened up a bit when his eyes landed on the Daughter of Athena. He looked like an actual fifteen-year-old at that moment. Not like a war-stricken demigod that seemed to be gaining decades every summer.

But then Silena pushed through the crowd and when she didn't see Beckendorf anywhere she said something that Katie didn't hear from her spot but could very easily guess what she might have said. Percy turned sorrowful again. He turned to look at Chiron helplessly and Katie saw the old centaur put a hand on Silena's shoulder, his lips moving, telling her something. Silena's whole body tensed and she slowly started to back away shaking her head.

Clarisse came up to her quickly and put an arm around the girl talking to her gently and led her away. After that, everyone else started to leave too, equally depressed.

Katie sighed. It was her cue to take her leave as well. She was hoping to at least talk to Percy today but it seemed she should be expecting one of the countless war meetings they had lately rather than a pleasant time of hanging out with her secret friend.

But before she left like everyone else, Percy caught sight of her and sent her a smile that probably wasn't supposed to be so pained. In return, Katie too smiled at him encouragingly because gods know he needs it.

~xXx~

The senior head counselors were convened to the headquarters for a war council (which, dramatically enough, took place inside the big house in the rec room around a Ping-Pong table).

Katie couldn't say that she was excited. Not only because of the impending war coming their way but also because it meant she had to listen to the arguing of the Apollo's and Ares' Cabin Counselors. They had a little war of their own. It has been going on the entire summer ever since the Apollo campers raided the chariot that the Ares kids led during a race.

(Bringing back those dam chariot races... They were never a good idea. All thanks to Tantalus. May he rot in the Fields of Punishment forever and _actually stay there._ )

Finally, Percy and Annabeth came back from the attic to retrieve the prophecy. Percy (being the Camp's informal leader that he is) stopped the dispute between Clarisse and Michael Yew and demanded to know what's going on.

Pollux who was sitting next to Katie explained the situation looking a bit uncomfortable.

Clarisse had found the race unfair but Chiron repeatedly explained to her that nothing the Apollo kids had done was against the rules. The girl stayed stubborn though and had locked herself in her cabin refusing to talk to anyone for three days straight.

"It's been wonderful," Travis said wistfully and Katie restrained herself to kick him under the table.

Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"

Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters–"

"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up when you need us, and not complain!"

"That would be nice," Connor Stoll muttered. This time Katie couldn't help but shoot them both a warning look.

The fight had gone on a little longer but when nobody took Clarisse's side she threw her knife at the Ping-Pong table and stormed off stating, "All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."

And the entire room went silent. The counselors were all too stunned to say anything.

Few have heard Annabeth sigh and mutter to herself, "Just like Achilles during the Siege of Troy."

"Good riddance," Michael Yew spoke much louder.

"Are you kidding?!" Katie hissed looking at Michael as if he doomed them all. Sure, Katie wasn't the biggest fan of Clarisse either but she could admit unlike some that the Ares Cabin is a strong asset for the upcoming war. Without them, the Camp's chances of winning that weren't high in the first place have decreased considerably. "This is a disaster!"

"She can't be serious," Travis said now not as confident as before. "Can she?"

Chiron sighed. "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down eventually." But he didn't sound convinced.

For now, they had to leave this subject as it is. Like it was previously mentioned, they had more important matters to discuss.

Percy then proceeded to read the poorly scribbled out prophecy on the tiniest piece of parchment which for a kid with severe Dyslexia like him was a real pain and struggle. After stumbling on his own words with Annabeth correcting him now and then they could conclude that the prophecy as suspected before was indeed about him.

It was, of course, written in very unclear riddles but it wasn't hard to realize that no matter whose side he would choose to fight on, Percy will inevitably die. That fact gained him a lot of sympathetic looks from the counselors but Percy only brushed this aside and moved on to another matter. The campers pitied him greatly but at the same time admired that even after every horrible thing that had happened to him already and hearing the news of his imminent death, Percy still stayed strong.

Next to him, Annabeth crossed her arms tightly to stop them from shaking. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

Knowing that they had other problems Percy informed the counselors of another news. "We've got a spy."

Michael Yew scowled. "A spy?"

Percy told everyone what had happened on the Princess Andromeda—how Kronos had known they were coming, how he'd shown Percy the silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp.

Silena started to cry again, and Annabeth took Clarisse's former seat next to Silena and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Well," Katie heard Connor speak up, "we've suspected there might a spy for years, right? Somebody kept passing information to Luke - like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well." He may have subconsciously glanced at Annabeth. She'd known Luke better than anyone, of course, but Connor looked away quickly. "Um, I mean, it could be anybody."

Katie and Travis made eye contact.

Ever since the Stoll brothers found out about Percy and her all four of them were covering for the former thieves.

That meant no one can know that the whole Empire State Building suicide (which was all over the news) had anything to do with them. Which in return meant that Katie and Stolls did not go through a life-changing road trip that made them change the way they see each other. Therefore they had to act like there was no difference in Katie's and the Stolls' regular rivalrous relationship.

It was kinda silly seeing that they were literally in a middle of a world war between ancient deities but hello, all four of them had an image to maintain.

There was an agreement exchanged between the two of them during their silent conversation.

"Yes." Katie Gardner frowned taking on the role of the girl who disliked Travis and Connor ever since the chocolate bunnies prank. "Like one of Luke's siblings," she commented to Connor's previous statement.

Travis and Connor immediately started arguing with her also playing the part.

After Katie and the Stolls started accusing each other, everyone else did too and a new argument started all over the table.

"Stop!" Silena banged the table so hard her hot chocolate spilled. "Charlie's dead and... and you're all arguing like little kids!" She put her head down and began to sob.

Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everybody looked ashamed.

Beckendorf had, after all, not only saved Percy's life back there but also sacrificed himself to successfully buy time for both the Camp and the Olympians. And now his grieving love is required to sit here listening to this nonsense.

"She's right," Pollux said at last. When he was mourning his brother the battle was at least over and he had time to heal and pull himself together without stressing so much about a possible death of millions. Silena wasn't so lucky. "Accusing each other doesn't help. We need to keep our eyes open for a silver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too."

At that everyone settled down and they continued with the council. Through Iris-message, Chiron showed them the titan, Typhon was freed and is now making his way toward an unguarded Olympus, not even noticing the gods trying to fight him.

Great, another threat they have to worry about.

~xXx~

The next day, Katie couldn't find Percy anywhere. When she was speaking with Juniper in the garden behind the Demeter's Cabin the dryad told her that she actually spoke to him today.

"Really? What'd he say?" Katie asked.

"Well," Juniper started with her eyebrows furrowing in worry. "as you know, Grover has been... missing lately."

Katie did know. Grover went to spread the word about Pan's death but no one in Camp has heard from him as of late and both Juniper and Percy have been very concerned for their friend.

"I went to ask Leneus for help." He was one of the members of the former Council of the Cloven Elders. The same one that tried to vote Grover into exile last summer. "I thought maybe Leneus could use his magic and ask other nature spirits around the world if they saw him anywhere. Ugh, sometimes I hate the fact that I'm bound to my tree. Well, and the near area surrounding it. Anyway, Leneus refused at first but then someone suddenly... _appeared_ from the shadows. It was that Son of Hades. He scared me to death..."

Katie thought that Nico probably shadow traveled on her the dryad's and the old satyr's conversation by accident. Personally, Katie never saw him do that but she heard from Percy that it was indeed startling to see an emo child of death just appear around the corner.

"But then a _stranger_ thing happened," Juniper continued. "A giant hellhound jumped out of the woods! I think it was Percy's... pet? Well, thanks to Percy, Leneus, in the end, agreed to help look for Grover. I think. He kinda just scurried away. Guess, you can't blame him. Percy was really scary." _Scary?_ Katie was surprised. It wasn't like Percy to use fear to get something he wanted. But well, when it came to his friends he could get a bit overprotective.

"The hellhound started sniffing me and I knew _more than enough_ about trees and dogs so I left quickly." She wrinkled her green nose in disgust. "I think Nico and Percy left together because other nymphs told me that they disappeared in the shadows again."

That was also weird. But then again _maybe_ it isn't. _Maybe_ Nico just wanted someone to buy him some McDonald's.

Or maybe his sudden visit was related to the thing Nico had talked to Percy on Percy's birthday almost a year ago. Katie wasn't present back then and she didn't get around on asking Percy what Nico had wanted.

She shrugged. If it was important Percy would tell her.

~xXx~

Although, she wished he would've told her sooner.

Out of the blue (and isn't that just the perfect description for Percy) when he and Nico were supposed to be on their mysterious field trip Percy called Annabeth telling her to gather all the demigods and head to the Empire State Building.

Knowing what it meant, the campers dressed in armor, readied their weapons and with strong spirits and grim thoughts, they headed into battle.

* * *

 **If you haven't figured Percy and Nico went to visit Luke's mom (and later Lady Hestia), then to ask Percy's mom for her to grant her son permission for the Achilles Curse, then to the Underworld where in order to find out about his own mother Nico hands Percy to his father who throws Percy to the dungeons where shortly after Nico helps him escape and then they finally take Percy to River Styx which gave him the strength to take down Hades' army. Phew...**

 **Alright, so most of you probably thought that this story was abandoned but it isn't! My main excuses for taking so long (...literally a year) are lack of motivations (not lack of _ideas_ mind you), health issues (mental and physical), school and family problems ( _majorly_ ). Individually those things wouldn't have stopped me from writing but all together at once... it was simply put _too much_.**

 **On a happier note though...** **There's one last _story arc_ I want to write soooo IT'S NOT OVER YET! ****There's probably like 5 or so chapters left (tiny spoiler: Reyna will make a cameo in future chapters) so stick around with me for _just_ _a bit more_ and let me just tell you, you will _not_ be ready for the ending.**

 **Next chapter: Making Traitie cannon**

 **Until my return.**

 **Goodbye, supporters of darkness.**


	22. Katie's fatal flaw

_Let's commit the perfect crime; I'll steal your heart, you'll steal mine._

* * *

In the strawberry delivery trucks, Argus drove them to the rendezvous spot to meet up with Percy.

Everyone had shown up. Well, except for the Ares Cabin which was both a good and a bad thing. With fewer forces, they had a less chance of winning but with more of them leaving Camp, their home was virtually undefended, save from the cleaning harpies, nymphs who couldn't leave their lakes and trees and the satyrs who didn't go spread the word about Pan like Grover. But they were here to protect New York and Olympus. And Camp Half-Blood was a part of both.

However, if the demigods would fail to fend off the monsters at the borders of Manhattan they could only hope that the Ares kids will help protect the Camp.

The half-bloods entered the Empire State Building and asked for the 600th floor (Percy made a good job of threatening the security guard, Clarisse would have been proud if she bothered to be there). Once arriving on Mount Olympus, they encountered Lady Hestia tending the Hearth.

It made sense. While the rest of her family has gone to war she has stayed home as the Last Olympian.

She showed Percy a vision in order for him to have a better understanding of their enemy. When she later asked, Katie found out that Lady Hestia had shown Percy Luke's tragic past involving his poor mother becoming hunted by the spirit of Delphi and Luke's unfateful meeting with his father, Hermes. Speaking of the messenger he had arrived right after Percy and Annabeth had sent the rest of the campers to scout the area.

The half-bloods found out that Morpheus had caused all the mortal residents of Manhattan to fall asleep in order to prevent human intervention. They also figured that Kronos and Hecate must have been using their powers to slow down time around the vicinity of Manhattan in such a way that the closer mortals get to the island, the slower time is.

After a little encounter with Hestia and then Hermes, the campers gathered back at the foot of Empire State Building where they discussed strategy. As Percy talked, the demigods listened intently with no little amount of fondness as well as respect. It is then that Percy was officially recognized as the Camp's leader. Most of them knew Percy from a very young age and seeing that kid become the hero and warrior he is now was... heartening. Annabeth herself could be seen watching Percy with a small proud smile and what Katie could only describe as heart eyes. And let me just tell you, those intimidating grey eyes become so tender was a picture they should hang in a museum.

Percy divided the campers and the Huntresses of Artemis (that had thankfully arrived to join them in battle) into groups to guard the bridges and tunnels that the enemy may use to get to Olympus.

They were ready to cut off all the entrances to Manhattan on the ground and they were sure that the gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air. But the rivers were wide open. When asked about it, Percy only replied to leave it to him.

~xXx~

Her scythe in hand, Katie leads her cabin to their assigned spot. Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

They didn't have to wait long for the monsters and enemy demigods to arrive. She and her siblings already went over the plan of attack on the way to the tunnel – the ones that could control the plants and earth better stood back and attacked using magic from a distance while the others defended them and faced the enemy head-on with weapons.

The sounds of the battle echoed around the arched stone walls of the tunnel. The concrete and train tracks gave way for vines and giant plants suddenly sprouting from the ground, grasping monsters and squashing them until they burst into golden dust. Poisonous bombs the Demeter kids grew back at Camp were flying everywhere exploding into colorful powder and making their opponents fall unconscious. And through all this chaos swords were clashing, armor was clanking and bullets were shooting from that one bastard that brought celestial shooting guns.

Due to ADHD, the battle that really went on for a good few hours went by in a blink of an eye for the half-bloods. The children of Demeter were victorious in the end and the place was left with nothing but cracked cement and collapsed walls decorated with vines and various exotic flowers so much that it resembled a jungle more than a spacious tunnel it was just this morning.

"Go take the injured ones to the Apollo kids," Katie ordered her siblings. "The others are coming with me to help the other cabins fight this war."

And she was only taking them to the Brooklyn Bridge because it was the closest one, _not_ because that's where the Hermes cabin was assigned to go. Well, seeing as the Hermes cabin was the biggest, Percy had split them in half and told Travis and Connor to lead them to two separate bridges. The bridge Katie's cabin was heading to just happened to be the one Travis was defending.

After what felt like forever, they finally made it. It seemed like Connor had the same train of thoughts as Katie because his half of the Hermes cabin after being done on Manhattan Bridge, had also decided to join Travis to fend off monsters on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Still walking, Katie turned to her siblings. "Alright, same tactic as before! The ones using magic get to higher grounds! The others, fight alongside the Hermes guys!" They were already on the move before she finished the last sentence.

Katie sped up a bit. While fighting off whoever or whatever tried to attack her she looked around for two familiar identical faces in the crowd of battling armored teenagers and greek monsters.

She heard him before she saw him.

Somehow she could tell which Stoll brother it was just by sound. By his voice alone. By his loud and agonized cry that was definitely let out involuntarily.

Suddenly, the absolute chaos and bloodbath the world around her currently was... didn't matter. Her whole and entire focus was on the shout of pain that was still echoing in her mind. Following the sound, her gaze zeroed in on the kneeling figure of Travis Stoll. In front of him a white-skinned, red-eyed, fanged woman with flaming hair with one metallic bronze leg and one hooved animal leg. An Empousa.

As if empowered with newfound inhuman strength, Katie threw off whatever tall and hairy monster she was blocking with her borrowed shield with ease and started storming towards the son of Hermes and the vampiric monster. Her murderous eyes trained on the scene, her grip on the scythe white-knuckled. She took wide and quick steps as she power-walked, filled with the kind of confidence that she had never managed to achieve before. All coming from plain, old _rage_.

In the distance, she watched as the Empousa looked down at the panting and bleeding boy. Her clawed hand tilted his chin up so his gaze could meet her hungry red eyes as she licked the blood off her lips. And the seductive way she slowly, _sensually_ crouched down in front of the demigod and arched her back so his face was facing her breasts and her knees widely spread on either side of him with her hand still holding his jaw just made Katie get there in an instant by the sheer power of will and anger alone. Has the world ever contained any other color than red? Because that's what she was seeing.

Katie didn't even realize when she threw aside the shield she was holding mere seconds ago. Blinded by her own fury, she was aware of nothing else but Travis who was seconds from bleeding out and that bloodsucker whose insides were about to meet Katie's scythe. But as she so impulsively decided to just slash Soulripper through the offending monster, the Empousa simply caught the bronze handle before the curved blade could touch her. She, ever so slowly, turned her pupil-less gaze to the seething and anger-driven mess that was Katie and let out a loud and animalistic hiss through her fangs.

The demigod roared and wrenched out the scythe out of the vampire's grip and once again tried to attack but the monster was too fast. Before Katie knew it, her weapon was pulled out of her grasp by much more stronger arms and with a powerful roundhouse kick from a heavy metallic leg, Katie was knocked down.

Her head crashed into the ground and for a few disorienting seconds the sounds of the battle around her were muted, her vision blurred and she started to see dark spots. She knew she was about to fall unconscious.

After weakly attempting to lift herself up, she just let herself collapse. Her unfocused eyes drifted to the Empousa whose back was turned to her. Still holding Soulripper the monster lady walked up to a blurry figure laying not too far from Katie, blood pooling around them.

No, _him._ That was Travis laying there helplessly about to be slaughtered with her own weapon.

Katie's eyes darkened.

 _No... No. No, damn it!_

She couldn't let this happen _again_.

She had already let one die on the battlefield. He had left this world with his brother mourning after him. She _was not_ going to let Travis and Connor become Castor and Pollux.

With that thought urging her and giving her the energy to _get up_ , slowly, _calmly_ approach the Empousa from behind, _pick up_ the previously dismissed shield and with all the strength she got left _strike_ her flaming head with the sharp edge of the bronze plate.

Crying shrilly the Empousa went down and while she was still on the ground Katie retrieved her stolen scythe and cleanly swiped the blade through the vampire's body making her explode into golden dust.

After a few seconds just standing there and breathing heavily, Katie's whole body dropped in relief. She sat there in the pile of monster dust still feeling dizzy. Soulripper placed in her slumped hands that weren't really holding the scythe anymore.

But then she remembered herself and quickly reached Travis' motionless body. Her lower lip was quivering as she shakily placed a tentative hand on his cheek smeared with dried blood. He had managed to take off his jacket and use it to stop the bleeding on his shoulder before passing out.

Frantically, Katie looked around and realized the battle ended and a few children of Apollo were surveying the area no doubt sent by Will to heal the injured. Katie yelled out for them, her voice full of desperation. They quickly ran up her. One already started to use her magic on Travis as the others urgently started to lift him up and take him to the hotel the half-bloods were using as headquarters.

After finding Connor, Katie brought him along to follow the Apollo kids healing his brother.

~xXx~

Revenge.

That was her fatal flaw - the need to get back at whoever did her wrong.

As she looked back at it she realized that her vengeance streak must have been first triggered a long time ago when Percy had suggested she should get back at her childhood bully (Lizzie had never forgiven Katie for the bleached hair).

Now that she really thought about it, she probably used to be a very crazy child. She remembered being reprimanded so many times it was basically half her childhood. One time all the way back in third grade, a boy stuck a piece of gum into her plush pony's hair so she got all her friends to chew a shitload of gum and dump it in his backpack. She got suspended and grounded but she was never sorry. Katie suppressed a smile at that memory.

Her fatal flaw fitted her, honestly. Every time the Stolls would prank her or her cabin she would make it a point to get back at them twice as hard (it was a playful back-n-forth really). The other time her fatal flaw was showing was when she took down that enemy half-blood that killed Castor.

And there was also today...

She was startled out of her thoughts when she felt something drop on her shoulder. Connor was sitting next to her on the floor in the hallway outside of the room Travis was being examined in. He placed his head on her shoulder seemingly unaware of what he was doing. His gaze was tired and distant. Katie understood. And so she allowed the contact and let her own head fall on Connor's. She heard the boy sigh so miserably that she couldn't help but put a comforting hand on his knee. _They were going to get through this,_ she seemed to be reassuring him. _All four of them..._

Speaking of... Katie wondered what's Percy doing right now.

But before she could really get into that, the Apollo kids finally exited the hotel suite and let them know that they could see Travis now. Connor was up in an instant. He was about to all but burst into the room but he paused and turned around to help Katie to her feet.

She smiled at him. It was touching. The fact that he would wait those two seconds for her before seeing his brother. So instead of ignoring or pushing away his offered hand like she would usually do, Katie took it and let the boy haul her up.

Together they slowly entered the room.

Travis smiled when he saw them. "Hey," He greeted with a weak voice.

"Dude, when someone says 'duck' you don't respond with 'where'!" was the first thing Connor said to his brother.

"There weren't any ducks!" Travis argued.

Katie huffed half exasperated, half fond. Even in a situation like this those two could remain silly and crack jokes. "So, are you gonna live, or are we supposed to be preparing your burning shroud?"

Travis was laying on a large bed with a bandage around his shoulder and chest. He chuckled slightly as he sat up on the pillows a bit more. "Nah, I think I'll be fine. I lost a lot of blood. They said that now I just need some blood transfer from someone who's a match."

"I'm a match!" Connor raised his hand dutifully.

"Of course, you are." Katie learned that Travis and Connor are the only people that they will ever need. Whether it's just company or fateful incidents like this.

"Oh, by the way," Connor said to his brother and jabbed a thumb to Katie's direction. "Katie totally saved your damsel ass back there! She just swooped in and slashed around her scythe and _destroyed_ that Empousa." That was a... very general description but he wasn't wrong.

"Yeah, I think I remember." Travis looked thoughtful as if trying to recall the memory through the haze. He locked eyes with Katie who was standing a bit further from the bed where he was laying with Connor sitting at his side. He draped a dramatic arm over his forehead and said to her, " _My_ hero."

He managed to get an amused snort and an eye-roll from Katie. And _that._ That right there was called victory if you asked Travis.

They heard someone knock softly and enter. It was Will, head of the Apollo cabin. "Hey, we got all the stuff ready for blood transfusion."

"What, you raided a hospital?" Katie asked highly amused.

"Well, it's not like the mortals will mind. They're all asleep anyway," Will said tad defensively.

"Will, my man, I have never been prouder." Connor went to give the blond a congratulatory hug fighting off tears.

"Oh, let's just get it over with," Will said annoyed dodging the hug and dragging Connor by the collar of his shirt like an unruly kitten. Will was still ranting irritatedly as they left.

Katie shook her head at them. She went to take Connor's abandoned place on the bed next to Travis.

"You know, I think I figured what's my fatal flaw thanks to you." Katie didn't know why she was telling him that but she felt like he should know.

That sentence made Travis look up at her startled gaining her his wholehearted attention.

Her gaze went distant as if instead of seeing reality, the previous events went flashing before her eyes. "The sole fact that she hurt you... It made me want to tear her apart."

She turned to look at him, her eyes fully focused now.

He could've died today. Travis could've died. It's like she was realizing it just now.

If he died... would it have felt like it felt when Castor died? Or when her nymph friends died with their burning trees during the Battle of the Labrinth?

Surprisingly the answer came easy to her - No.

No, it would've been so much worse.

She might have denied it but she cared about Travis. Somewhere along the way of annoyance and mutual rivalry and reluctant alliance she started to develop strong feelings towards that kid. She wasn't ready to name those feelings yet but she knew it was way beyond just a friendly affection.

Katie found herself studying the boy laying in front of her. He in return was looking at her with uncomprehending eyes.

He seemed to have changed since the first day she saw him yet not at all. His skin was a warm brown, a result of spending his days out in the hot summer. His pointed elvish face always reminded her of a demon sent straight from Tartarus. _It suits him though_ , she thought. _It added to his mischievous nature_. His messy brown curls, however, seemed to soften his features. He had a haircut this summer. His brown mop of curls that she was so accustomed to seeing was cut into a sort of undercut where his sides were shorter and the top messy and unruly as ever. It gave him more of a boyish charm. It was endearing. He still had bangs long enough to hang over his blue eyes and thick upturned eyebrows. Had he always had bits of gold in the center of his eyes? Now that Katie was close enough she could see it. It was subtle but the warm color contrasted beautifully with the deep blue.

It was strange how she hadn't noticed those things before. Travis Stoll had always been crooked smiles to match his twisted personality, a gleam in his eyes as if he was constantly up to no good, daily pranks, teasing smirks and an overall mischievous air around him.

But now he seemed so much more.

Katie bit her lower lip looking away suddenly. She was never into overthinking. Always preferred to just jump right into things regardless of the consequences. But it seemed like she was really considering what she was going to do next.

Let's see. Travis was someone she deeply cared about (enough for her to kill an evil seductive monster lady). Travis has always been there for her (whether it was wanted or not). She knew him since they were kids and he never stopped clinging to her and pranking her (no doubt trying to get her attention).

Sounds good, let's go for it.

As if mentally nodding decidedly, Katie turned to Travis with an almost childlike purpose in her eyes and with a swift movement she leaned over him and met his lips with her own.

She felt him take a sharp startled breath. For a moment Travis stilled so much he wasn't sure he was breathing.

The kiss was chaste and sweet and pleasant and... just perfect.

After a while but way too quickly, it ended with Katie slowly pulling her soft lips away from his.

Their eyes met and for a moment it was so silent yet so loud inside their minds. Travis couldn't help but gape at her with wide surprised or perhaps, disbelieving eyes.

Finally, he was the one to speak first, "You know... I always thought that it would happen in the middle of a battle with you kissing me to shut me up or something and then you just continue fighting like it's no big deal and leave me there standing on the spot until something comes and kills me. You know, like the total badass you are."

Katie raised her eyebrows. "Well, we _are_ in the middle of a war," she offered.

She let herself drop on the mattress so she wasn't leaning over him but laying next to him, still gazing at him with those soft green eyes.

Travis had no idea what was happening. First, she was talking about fatal flaws and then just sitting there silently for like five minutes gazing at him with this soft look in her eyes that he was honestly not very familiar with but found to like it. But then? Then she was _kissing_ him.

Oh, Travis imagined that moment thousands of times before.

He just never thought that it would be so... so _sweet_ and...

 _Divine_.

To be honest, he believed that their first kiss would happen in the heat of the moment and it would feel _great_ at first but then one of them would either pull or push away (Katie most likely) and they would stare at each other shocked, maybe horrified. After that, they'd probably not talk to each other. Avoided each other, the awkwardness. Realistically, he always knew that kissing Katie Gardner and not ruin whatever friendship they had so far, not regret it afterward and actually _being with her_ was... just a fantasy.

But here they were. Lying next to each other on a hotel master bed and feeling completely at ease with each others' company. It was better than whatever Travis could ever dream of.

Katie watched him stare into the distance for a while as if trying to solve the hardest task known to mankind until as if a thought struck him or a realization dawned on him, a grin slowly started to form on his face.

He turned to look at her. Filled with sudden energy and happiness, he surged forward pressing his lips to Katie's once more. He was like an excited child who was finally allowed something that his mother hadn't permitted him until now. He felt Katie smile against his lips and put her warm hands on his cheeks which just urged him to deepen the kiss.

He only pulled away when they both just couldn't hold in the laughter. He was leaning on his elbow hovering over Katie. He looked down at her flushed cheeks, wide grin and dazed eyes. She was chuckling breathily. He put a hand over the one she placed on his cheek and brought her hand to his lips placing a light peck on her knuckles. The atmosphere was so pure and light he never wanted it to end.

"So, do we, like... _Like_ each other now?" Travis questioned, his eyes bright with laughter.

"No, we definitely still hate each other." Katie snaked her arms around his shoulders careful not to disturb his injury. "Now come'ere and hate me a bit more," she said before pulling him down and kissing him again.

* * *

 **By the way, Unexplianable Contradiction has uploaded a chapter to 'Unknown Friendship' recently. And since 'Partners in Crime' was inspired by her story I'd thought I should spread the word. So go check it out if you haven't already. If you like and are still reading my story than you'll probably like that one too.**

 **Sorry that like, last five chapters were just retelling of the PJO books from Katie's perspective. But I wanted to make a point that Katie and all the other minor characters are also, in fact, a part of this story. I see so many fans just gloss over those great characters (hell, barely anyone in the fandom even remembers who Castor and Pollux are!) and yes, I understand, they are _minor_ _characters_ after all but I just wanted to give them more attention and maybe more depth so people would like them more and appreciate them. ****That's partly why this story is mainly about Katie; that's actually why this story even exists – to give voice and basically 'screen time' for all of those that were forgotten and disregarded. Katie has always been just a vague description and a seemingly tiny role in the books. So, I gave her a bit more _meaning_ and _character_.**

 **Anyway, in all the next chapters we will finally be working with an actual plot. It will take place Between the Last Olympian books and Heroes of Olympus and then we will be finally _done_ (I'm actually kinda glad I'm ending this story). **

**Next Chapter: Some more Katie and Percy moments, celebrating the end of the war, and... old criminals coming back from the dead?**

 **Until my return.**


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